


Tainted hands pure hearts

by Panakot



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Character Corruption, F/M, I can only do so much with my brain man, I mean it's a show about heroes fighting villains, I'm still trying to figure out how they kept it as PG as they did, M/M, Oc's technically at this point, So don't nag me on that, TW mild blood and mention of violence against young, Tagging characters to be involved in some capacity, Warning some OOC, cause I didn't write the show, plz
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 80,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22172287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panakot/pseuds/Panakot
Summary: After an incident when he followed his mom to work, K.O.'s life became an adventure he wasn't sure he was ready for.Scarred in more ways than one, he strives to make a difference in his world, but what kind of change he'll bring has yet to be determined.
Relationships: Carol/Eugene "Gar" Garcia, Dendy/K.O. (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Dendy/Turbo K.O. (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes!), Lord Boxman/Professor Venomous
Comments: 39
Kudos: 42





	1. Journey of one thousand steps

Kaio Kincaid, or K.O. for short, was your average 6-11-year-old boy. Well, about as normal as can be expected in a world populated by super powered humans, aliens, and other mysterious creatures that could perform fantastical feats of strength and even magic.

As such, it was almost extraordinary how ordinary the boy was. Even his mommy was more special than himself. She was amazingly strong, able to practically atomize a wooden board with as little effort as blinking. K.O. was barely stronger than the average kid his age.

And that’s saying nothing about all the hero’s he collected in his POW card binder. He had hundreds of different cards! All of them amazing in their own way. Even the villains could be strong! The highest level he had ever seen though, at least in his collection, was Mr. Gar!

He was a strong, imposing man. And was a startling level 11! K.O.’s eyes practically sparkled as he looked at Mr. Gar’s card with reverence. It was the first card he had gotten of such a high level, and since he had, he aspired to be just like him! A big, strong hero, that could save anyone and everyone with little effort! 

Carol broke him from his thoughts, slipping into the tank-car that K.O. had been seated in, his POW binder held tight in his hands. She turned in the driver’s seat and smiled brightly at him, and he grinned right back. His mommy’s smile was contagious, sometimes he wondered if that was one of her powers!

“Ready to go, Peanut?”

He nodded vigorously, closing his binder and hugging it tight to his chest. “Yep, I’m ready mommy!”

He would normally spend the day at home with his babysitter, Punching Judy. She was a strong fighter to, her POW card clocking in with a healthy level 3, but she was fighting The Flu right now, a level 2. He always thought it was a little odd that The Flu had a positive number, rather than the standard negative of a villain. Maybe he didn’t do all that bad stuff?

He shook his head of the thoughts, it wasn’t his place to worry about it, he was just excited that he got to go to work with his mom today!

As Carol pulled out of their driveway, K.O.’s attention fell out the window, watching the dinosaurs fly by in the sky, squawking to each other as they seemed to enjoy the sun on this bright day. As he zoned out on the passing scenery, he barely noticed the time pass before they pulled into his mom’s place of work.

Lakewood Plaza Turbo!

It was where all the hero’s in his town went, be it to train, shop, or just about anything else amazing heroes did!

He stared at the Plaza through car window, fogging it a bit with his breath as he pressed his cheek to the cool glass, trying to get a better look at all the heroes they passed. 

When his mom turned off the tank-car, she turned back to look at him, and let out a chuckle when she saw him fogging up her window in his wonder. She never got tired of him it seemed, he was an ever-present bundle of joy, and it seemed no one could bring him down. 

“Come on, K.O., it’s time to go!” She barely finished her sentence before he undid his buckle and was outside of the car. He certainly could be fast!

She stepped out after making sure she had everything, locking the vehicle before she walked around it, taking a bouncing K.O. gently by the hand. “Let’s go see if the girls are already waiting for us!”  
The boy practically dragged his mom towards her work. She operated the Fitness Dojo, a place for heroes to train and get stronger! 

As they approached, he spotted three women waiting outside, chatting amongst themselves as they waited for the Dojo to open. The tallest one, a four-armed woman named Gertie spotted the approaching due. “Well if it isn’t our favorite mother son team!” That earned the other two women’s attention, and before he knew it, K.O. was scooped up by Gladys, and was being snuggled and coddled by the three. He could only giggle in response, waving to each of them. 

“Hi, Miss Ginger, Miss Gertie, Miss Gladys! I’m happy to see you all!”

Further squeals about how cute he was were heard as Carol opened the Dojo at last, shaking her head as she smiled at their antics. She might have to find a way to get K.O. out of the Dojo if they hoped to get any training done today.

She realized quickly upon attempting to get her students attention that this was exactly the case. She narrowed her eyes in mild frustration, approaching a wooden board set across some upright cinder blocks, and with an easy punch, she destroyed it completely. With that done, she stood straight, dusting off her hands and utilizing her acting skills. She knew her wonderful son couldn’t say no to this. 

“Oh darn! That was my last board… oh K.O., sweety, could you go to the Bodega and pick up some more?” She had barely pulled out her credit card when it was snatched from her hand, her son standing at her feet with it clutched to his chest, grinning wide up at her before saluting smartly, if a little incorrectly. 

“I’m on it, you can count on me, mommy!” And with that, he was off, earning some disappointed whines from her class. They knew that was the last they’d see of him for the day. They knew Carol’s tactic with this, she had plenty of boards in the back.

K.O. ran quickly as a bolt to the Bodega, stopping just off the sidewalk in front of the automatic doors, staring up at it in awe.

“Gar’s Bodega… every heroes one-stop-shop for everything they could need!” He ran inside, his bare feet padding lightly on the cold tile within. He looked around him, quickly taking stock of everything inside. 

The first thing he noticed, was a green alien and a purple haired girl leaning against the main counter, chatting away. He approached them, bouncing happily on his toes as he waved to get their attention. 

“Hi there! My name’s K.O., I’m hear to pick up wood for my mommy!” That earned a small snicker from the teens, but the alien turned to him, crouching down to meet K.O. on level terms. How nice of him!

“Hey kid, what kinda wood? We got lotsa stuff here.”

He thought about it. Did it matter? Maybe if he said what it was used for? “Um, punching wood, I guess? Mommy just dusted her last one, so I needed to get more!”

“Punching? What’s your mom do?”

He pointed out the door behind him. “My mommy works at the Dojo! She’s super strong and stuff and she makes everyone else strong to! Even me!” He brought his arms up and flexed to try and show how strong he was. “I wanna be a hero someday, so I wanna be super strong like mommy!”

Even with his eyes scrunched up, he knew it wasn’t an impressive display. He just wanted to show that even a little kid like him was a bit strong, thanks to his mommy.

That earned a whistle from the alien. “Whoa, lookit that gun show! You wanna see mine?” Without prompting, the alien flexed easily, and K.O. couldn’t help staring in awe at the display in front of him.

He felt a small twinge in the back of his mind, but the spark of purple that danced through his hair went unnoticed.

The teen grinned even wider, showing off his sharp teeth as his did so. “I know, right?” He brought down his arms into a more relaxed position, then extended a hand to K.O., who eagerly shook it. “I’m 

Radicles, but you can just call me Rad! That one up there is Enid, but she’s not as cool as me!”

That earned a kick to the back of Rad’s head, and a deep chuckle from the offending alien. The purple haired girl, despite any possible aggression towards the alien under her boot, smiled with practiced movements to K.O. “Don’t listen to him kid, he’s just jealous he’s not a cool ninja like me.”

That got K.O. even more interested, his eyes sparkling. “You’re a NINJA!? That is SO COOL!”

That got a blush out of the teen called Enid. She was about to respond when suddenly, the doors to the Bodega slid open, and K.O. was completely star-struck.

It was Mr. Gar himself! 

He watched as Gar ordered Enid and Rad front and center, the two teens becoming animated and quickly taking up positions in front of him. He puffed his chest and spoke with authority to the other two, and K.O. was amazed, he could practically feel the power! 

The meeting, or whatever it was, was cut short though, as a loud siren went off in the store. Gar ordered the two out front, and K.O. followed behind out of pure curiosity. 

He certainly hadn’t expected to see the clouds darkening, spinning around to focus on a single point in the sky, only for it to spread open, and a large box to drop down, landing on the pavement with an earth cracking thud. The only concern that seemed to be shown by any of the people in the area, was a skeleton and a humanoid bear to come running out of a nearby shop, a phone already in the skeletons hand.

Rad groaned, rolling his eyes. “Why does Boxmore hafta attack now? I was hoping for a lazy day…”

Enid sighed. “With any luck we can finish this easily.”

K.O. stayed in the background, watching with fascination as the box split at the edges, releasing a purple smoke into the air around it. It fell open quickly after that, revealing a red robot, with a green brain jar on the top of its head.

It called out in a rather squeaky and chirpy voice. “Hello, Lakewood LOSERS! I’m here to finally destroy this Plaza for heroes!”

Enid crouched into a fighting stance. “Darrell, you never managed it before.” 

Rad’s fingers began to glow purple as he readied for battle as well. “Yeah, what makes you think you can this time?”

Darrell laughed wickedly, energy sparking from his metal hands. “Because daddy gave me an upgrade!” And with that, the bot sprang forward, swiping and punching at the two teens as they dodged out of the way. 

Red let out a yelp as he got grazed by one of Darrell’s hands, and even K.O. could tell Rad got singed by whatever was sparking off the bot. “Cob! That hurt!” 

K.O. perked up and bit his lip a bit at the sight of the teen being injured. He wanted to jump in and help, but what could he do?

While at first, Rad and Enid seemed to have a decent chance at wining, the longer the fight went on, the more the robot threw sparks from his body, and seemed to get stronger.

They were losing ground fast, and had gotten separated, Rad was panting, sitting on the pavement a few feet from K.O., while Enid was clutching her burnt side clear across the Plaza parking lot. 

Suddenly, Darrell charged towards Rad, the sparks flying off wildly now, even burning the pavement around him, leaving scorch marks of his footprints as he ran. 

K.O. had no time to think. 

Before he even realized what he had done, he was in front of Rad, his hands outstretched as he caught the robots hands in his own, their fingers locking as they suddenly began a battle of wills, K.O., refusing to let go, and Darrell trying to break free.

And K.O. screamed

He felt the electricity dancing along his arms, burning him from his palms as is quickly traveled up his arms and towards his shoulders.

He should have lost strength when it reached his elbows, but he still refused to let go, his grip leaving dents in the robot’s hands. Darrell seemed taken aback, trying harder to break free from the child keeping him locked in place, withstanding the electricity.

His arms were numb now, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on, when suddenly he felt something envelop him, and realized that the world had gone purple. He was yanked away from Darrell and thrown up into the air. 

He watched from the sky as Enid and Rad, having recovered quickly, managed to take down the startled Darrell quickly, destroying him.  
K.O. smiled weakly, feeling gravity pull him back down towards earth. He couldn’t feel his hands, and he saw dimly that the wrist bands he always wore had been burnt away. At least Rad an Enid were OK. 

His world became dark before he ever hit the pavement.

When he woke up, he was in someplace unfamiliar to him. He let out a small groan as he tried to push himself up, only to let out a cry of pain when he tried to move his arms. He realized quickly after that someone was calling his name. He turned his head, and smiled tiredly when he saw his mom, kneeling on the floor beside him.

It was only then that he realized she was crying. He bolted upright at that, gritting his teeth through the pain. “Mommy! Are you ok? Why are you crying??” He realized his voice was a little bit weak. She stared at him, then let out a sob, pulling him into a nearly crushing embrace. 

“O-Oh my baby boy… my baby boy… what were you thinking…. why would you…”

It was then he noticed Rad and Enid, their own wounds bandaged now as they looked at him with worry. He smiled softly at that. “Oh, you guys are ok…! I’m glad…!” 

Carol slowly and gently pulled him away from her, looking him up and down. “K.O…we’re all more worried about you… your arms…” He looked down, noticing his arms were thickly bandaged, but despite that he could still see red through the cloth. He frowned a little bit, flexing his fingers despite the pain, then forcing a grin.

“I’m OK mommy. It doesn’t hurt bad.”

Carol let out a new sob, clinging to her son again. Enid glanced at Rad, who nodded and approached. “Kid, that was crazy what you did…! Why did you step in to save me back there…?”

At that, K.O. tilted his head. “I don’t know… My feet moved before I could think. I saw you in danger, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

Rad sighed and shook his head. “Thanks to you, I got out of that with my antennae, so thanks.” Rad smiled down at him. “You’re my hero, kid.”

K.O. took a moment to process that, then began to tear up. “R-Really…? I was… a hero…?”

Carol pulled away again, rubbing her eyes and nodding. “Yeah… My brave little boy… You’re a hero…”

Enid nodded, pushing herself away from the wall and approaching them, ruffling K.O.’s hair playfully. “Ya, a real hero for sure, kid.”

Before he could stop himself, he was sobbing. The pain in his arms forgotten as he rubbed at his eyes to dry them. He couldn’t say heroes didn’t cry; he had just seen his mommy crying.

But he was still a little embarrassed about it.

He spent the rest of the day with Rad and Enid, who took it upon themselves to make sure he would be ok, while Carol reluctantly returned to work with what she had originally sent K.O. to get.  
It didn’t take long before K.O. seemed to have regained a lot of mobility in his arms, which surprised both teens. He hung around near the front, keeping Enid company while she desperately avoided dealing with the customers that approached the counter. 

Rad came back up towards the front, sighing as he used his finger lasers to levitate a box behind him, as well as himself. He set it down, then proceeded to sit on it near the counter. 

K.O. smiled at him, then decided now was as good a time as any to ask the teens what exactly happened before.

Rad tilted his head. “Huh? You haven’t heard of Boxmore? He’s a bad guy that set up shop across the street. He builds bots like that Darrell we fought earlier and sends em here to try and take us down. 

They never win though~.”

Enid rolled her eyes. “Ya, even though he almost beat you today.”

Rad clutched his chest. “Oof! Attack my pride why don’t you, Enid!”

K.O. glanced across the street, noticing the factory for the first time. He thought on it a bit. If this Boxmore guy made that red robot from earlier, he could send more, and his friends might get hurt, or even his mommy. He nodded a bit to himself, ignoring the bickering teens. He would sneak in and take out Boxmore. He was a hero after all, he could take down a villain!

He returned his attention to Rad and Enid, waving his bandaged arms in the air as he tried to get their attention. “Hey! I’m gonna go out for a bit, I wanna go see my mommy!”

Rad waved him off, clearly embroiled in his heated discussion with Enid, something about how the near loss earlier was Enid’s fault.

As K.O. crossed the parking lot, making his way towards the crosswalk to Boxmore, he took a second to marvel at how the area didn’t even look like there had been a battle earlier. Had Rad and Enid cleaned it up? How long had he been asleep?

He couldn’t really be certain about any of that, but he did know he felt like he had more energy, and even more power than he did before he took Darrell’s hit. He felt like he could do anything!  
K.O. quickly found himself at Boxmore’s entrance. He looked around quickly, before seeing the factory entrance. He decided that the direct approach may not be the best idea and opted for entering through an open window he saw a short way up. He climbed up a nearby tree quickly, his arms barely hurting him anymore, and made the leap for the window, barely managing to grab the ledge as he did.

He scrambled in, sighing in relief when he found himself alone in what appeared to be a factory floor. 

“OK… now to find this Boxman guy, and tell him not to attack my friends anymore…”

“What could a useless kid like you possibly want with me, the great Lord Boxman?”

K.O. let out a yelp, whipping around to see a short, rotund man, one hand that of a chicken’s foot, standing in a door nearby. K.O. swallowed his fear. A real villain!

“I-I’m here to tell you to stop attacking my friends at the plaza!!”

Boxman was silent for a beat, before laughing loudly, whipping a tear from his true eye. “What makes you think you can tell me to do anything?” He pressed a button on a remote he pulled from his lab coat, and K.O. yelped as he found himself suddenly suspended by metallic arms, his wrists and ankles bound painfully tight. 

“Especially when I’ve got you right. Where. I. Want. You…” 

The boy’s eyes went wide. He’d fallen into a trap! He began to squirm to break free, but the metal arms only pulled him tighter, causing him to wince in pain. 

Boxman tsked, approaching the suspended boy as he spoke. “See, kid, I hate friendship. You being all so friendly, stepping in to save your ‘pal’, that silly alien, from my Darrell? Disgusting! Seeing you all being nice to each other? Sickening!”

Boxman grinned, his nose inches from K.O.’s, who’s eyes were wide in fear. “I want to destroy friendship, boy. I want it demolished! And you? You’re going to help me…”

That got the boy to thrash in his bonds, nearly headbutting the villain in front of him. “I’ll never help you! You’re a villain, and I’m a hero! I’m going to stop you!”

That got a laugh from the villain. “Oh? Some hero you are. You’re useless. You are powerless! All you could do was get hurt” at that, the robot arms squeezed painfully tight on K.O.’s arms, causing him to let out a pained scream, the bandages on his wrists turning a deeper red. “And get caught. Now, I’m going to use you as bait to lure those goody two shoes in here, and if you don’t take them down… Well, they might just take you down instead!”

K.O. looked at Boxman, his vision blurred with tears. “W-What…? Why would they…” 

Boxman cut him off. “Why? You got captured, and now they are going to have to come in here and rescue a useless child like you!”

A screen lowered behind him, and Boxman glanced back at it, making sure K.O. could see the image clearly. “I’ve sent my daughter Shannon to tell them of your capture… and oh! Look how angry they look…”

K.O. bit his lip. They looked so mad, Rad was practically fuming, and Enid was carrying the crushed head of a yellow robot beneath her arm. There was no audio, but Boxman provided more than enough for his imagination. 

“They despise you now. They hate that they have to save a useless, worthless kid like you!”

K.O. didn’t noticed the electricity dancing through is hair.

“Look at how they destroy all in their path… What do you think they’ll do to you…?”

K.O. didn’t notice his headband beginning to sizzle slightly.

“They are almost here… And I don’t feel like being destroyed today… So have fun, boy!”

Before he could process anything, K.O. was thrown forward onto the floor, skidding to a stop on the rough metal surface, gaining a rather nasty cut over his eye in the process. By the time he lifted himself on shaky arms, he couldn’t see Boxman anymore.

But he could hear approaching explosions.

He scrambled to his feet, but quickly fell backwards, his vision halved by the blood covering one of his eyes. He let out a terrified cry as the door to the room he was in was blown open, Enid and Rad bursting into the room, panting and covered in dust and small cuts.

K.O. cowered against the far wall, holding his arms over his head as he cried. He had messed up! He messed up so bad… and now the people he thought were his friends were going to hurt him!

He didn’t hear their approach.

He didn’t hear them yelling his name.

And he let out a distressed cry as he was scooped up.

He hadn’t expected to be greeted with a hug though.

Rad and Enid immediately began to fuss over him, checking him over and gasping upon seeing the newly bloodied bandages and the bad gash over his eye. He looked between them. “You…aren’t mad…?”

They looked at each other, then laughed. “At you? Never! You’re crazy, ya, and we can’t say we’re not mad. But definitely not at you!” Enid grinned at him, then Rad nodded.

“Ya kid, it was super brave to try and come here to beat Boxman all alone, and for us to boot!” Rad pulled K.O. from Enid’s arms, giving him the gentlest noogie he could. 

Enid crossed her arms. “Just, don’t do that again, deal?”

K.O. nodded, crying and smiling at the same time. “D-Deal…”

They returned to the Bodega, Rad carrying K.O. on his shoulder the whole way, K.O. describing what Boxman had been saying to him. 

Enid was practically alit she was so mad. “I’m going to tear that Boxman’s head off if I ever get my hands on him!”

K.O. shrunk into himself a bit, which made Enid calm down almost immediately. “I’m not mad at you, K.O., I’m mad at him for lying to you and hurting you.”

“R-Right, but…” He pointed ahead of them, towards the Dojo. “I don’t think we’ll live long enough to get back at Boxman…”

His mother was standing in front of the Dojo, fixing the three with a glare that could have destroyed the entire Plaza on its own.

When Enid and Rad finally saw the look that Carol was fixing on them, they nearly shrunk down as well. The slowed their pace as much as they could without it being obvious, prolonging the inevitable. Once they finally got close enough, K.O. hopped down off Rad’s shoulders, looking up at his mom. 

“Mommy, I’m sorry… it’s my fault… I thought if I could go beat Boxman, then I could keep them from hurting my friends again… or you…”

And the look he gave her absolutely melted her head. “Oh K.O… you’re to nice sometimes… you need to learn when to take a break and let your body heal…” She reached into a pouch she had around her waist, and knelt down, gently bandaging K.O.’s eye. “Just promise me you’ll be more careful, ok?”

He smiled brightly and nodded. “I will mommy! I wanna be a great hero some day, and if that means taking a break, I will!”

She smiled. “Hon, there is a LOT to becoming a hero…. No one started off strong…”

He tilted his head at that. “Not even Mr. Gar? Or you?”

She laughed a little at that. “Not even us pumpkin. He had to learn from other heroes…”

Rad had a lightbulb moment. “Then he should work with us at the Bodega!” That got them all staring at him. “We’re working there to learn under Mr. Gar to, so the kid can learn with us! We’ll have each other’s backs, and we’ll make sure he takes better care of himself!” 

Carol seemed a little hesitant, but her heart melted again when she saw her son looking at her with bright, eager eyes. “You need to ask Mr. Gar first.” 

They all nodded, waving back to her as they headed back to the Bodega at last. 

It didn’t take long to find the boisterous manager and make the request. While he seemed to be ready to refuse immediately, he had to concede when he learned that Carol had even said OK. 

Before the day was out, K.O. was showing off his new Bodega vest to everyone he crossed paths with. 

And so, Kaio Kincaid began his work at Gar’s Bodega, with his coworkers and new best friends Rad and Enid. 

And he couldn’t be happier, even with his arms now permanently scared black from his first fight, he saw it as a badge of honor. He had taken the first step on his journey to becoming a true hero.


	2. D3N LOG: 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dendy gives her contribution to the ever growing mystery that is K.O.

D3N LOG: 20XX 0X K0

Today I learned something very interesting about my new… friend… Kaio Kincaid. Or K.O. for short. He is very kind to those around him, and as such, he tends to land himself in undesirable and unenviable situations. 

Example 1: One week ago, K.O. was seen aiding in the cleanup duties at school, even though he had nothing to do with the great food war which occurred earlier that same day. I will admit, for the record, that I started the war as an experiment. I wished to see how the student body would respond, should there be something akin to a power battle begun.

He remained after the war had ended, aiding those injured and cleaning the end results. It was strange for me to see this, all others in the student body vacated the premises the moment they were caught by the teachers. K.O. even took the brunt of the punishment, stating that he had thrown the first burger.

I hid behind one of the trash bins, watching as he hummed merrily to himself, a tune I had never before heard, but one that seemed to bring him great calm. As I continued to study him, he began to put words to the tune, and I witnessed something I can only describe as fantastical. 

In my time at school, I did not always take note of the cheerful boy, but when he one day showed up, wearing long sleeves and a pair of gloves, the entire school became aflutter in rumors.  
While the outfit may not sound odd at first, when you take into account that he still wore shorts and no shoes, as well as the fact that the temperature was abnormally high for this time of year, it caused many a student to question.

It became a challenge to learn what the chipper boy was hiding, but he always deflected any questions, avoiding any contact with his fellow classmates. Even in gym he would wear these extra articles of clothing, even if he was clearly in distress over the heat.

Yet here he was, sweating as he cleaned a mess that wasn’t his, singing a song to himself as he did so without qualm.  
He truly was a fascinating subject!

Example 2: Two days ago, I discovered what K.O. was hiding, and made my first promise to a friend. And I refuse to break that promise.

After I had begun observation on K.O., he began to take notice of me as well. It was odd, being observed while I myself observed him. He caught my eye a few times, and I felt my cheeks heat as I avoided his gaze. 

I must put further study into these odd reactions to his gaze, but for the time being I have more pressing things to do.

It was as he caught my eyes again that he apparently thought it a good idea to approach me. My face went red as he closed the gap between us two, and he smiled ever so kindly at me. I glanced away, hiding away my holo-screen before he could read anything on it. 

He tilted his head when he finally stood in front of me, and I found myself fidgeting with the webbing between fingers. He blinked, shaking my head slightly to clear it. I would really have to look into these sensations. Here is a transcript of our conversation for my records.

“Hiya! Can I help you with something? You’ve been watching me all day.”

I avoided stating the truth of having been watching him for the past few days. Instead, I came up with something on the spot. “Yes. Your name is K.O., correct? A young hero as I’ve heard.”

His cheeks went red at the title, before rubbing the back of his head with a gloved hand. “Err, ya! I’m K.O., what can I help you with?” 

“I have been having some trouble with my hack-pack, and need some parts to finish repairs. Will you help me to collect them?

His smile was bright and bouncy. I felt an odd sensation in my stomach at the look on his face. He nodded to me, and off of the top of my head, I said the first item that came to mind. “First, I require a 

Robotic Dilation Circuit.”

He tilted his head slightly, closing his eyes as he thought it through. “Well… I dunno much about robots, but Mr. Logic might! Let’s go ask!”

When he took my hand to drag me off, I felt myself thankful that I had naturally cold skin, as I fell myself heating wherever he touched. Looked at the back of his head as he pulled me along, taking a mental note of the strong musculature he possessed in spite of his young age. When he finally came to a stop, I realize we had entered a shop called Logic Cuts in Lakewood Plaza Turbo. I didn’t come here to often, but I knew from my research that K.O. himself actually worked at Gar’s Bodega, a hero supply store in the Plaza.

K.O. seemed to be rather smart. It was true that the sentient robot in charge of this place would have exactly as she requested. As K.O. began asking Mr. Logic for information, I realized he had difficulty in pronouncing larger words, ones I had little to no issues with. I decided to save him time and make the request myself.

“Excuse me, K.O. is attempting to inquire as to weather you may have a Robotic Dilation Circuit.”

Mr. Logic shook his head, sounding rather defeated, even in his near monotone voice. “I do apologize, children, but I left all robotic items behind in my past. Perhaps I may interest you instead in a set of mathematically perfect hair cuts?” Mr. Logic offered them a smile, his hand switching out for an ancient looking electric shaver. 

I smiled. That would certainly have what I needed. As Mr. Logic was describing the history of the device, I felt my feet spark slightly with electricity. In spite of having my rubber boots on, my abilities still gave me a slight boost. I was able to leap above Mr. Logics head and snatch the clippers, smashing them upon the ground as I landed next to the shattered metal. 

I heard K.O. yell behind me as I picked the part out from the debris. “Dendy! What did you do?!”

I smiled at him and showed him the part. I expected him to be happy, perhaps proud I had managed to procure it. “I found what we were seeking, K.O.”

He shook his head, sounding nearly hysterical. “But Dendy, that was like, Mr. Logic’s entire family history! And you just smashed it on the ground!!” He was clearly angry.

I felt discomfort in my stomach, as though a tight knot had formed. Glancing down at the mess I had made as I pocketed the small mechanical part. I knelt down, quickly and easily repairing the clippers, or perhaps re-make was a better term, as I did improve them. I offered them back to Mr. Logic, smiling slightly. “I believe you will find that these clippers now operate at 260% their original capacity, Mr. Logic sir.”

Mr. Logic re-attached the clippers and gave them a test, smiling and chuckling to himself. “Indeed!” At least he could appreciate improvement.

K.O. smiled at me, and the tight knot in my stomach dissipated, once again replaced with a light, fluttering feeling. I liked this sensation much more.

As we left Logic Cuts, I glanced back at K.O., who was grinning widely. “Thanks again for fixing those clippers! You’re amazing, Dendy!”

My face turned hot again, and I looked away, clearing my throat in an attempt to disperse the heat. 

“So, what’s next?” I paused a moment. I was not done taking data, so I listed off another useful item. 

“I need a copper pewter Alloy. It is easier if it is disk shape.”

He thought on it a moment, before snapping his fingers. The sound was muffled, and I took not that he clearly wasn’t sed to wearing fabric over his hands still. He took my hand again, and we were off to get the next item. 

It didn’t take long to make it to the arcade, and for K.O. to bring me to the token machine. I watched with some amusement as he pulled out a wallet, watching as several moths flew out.

I smiled as I watched him attempt to collect the moths once more. I glanced to the back of the machine, seeing a loose panel I chose to make both of our lives slightly easier. I made quick work of hacking the machine, having it deposit several hundred tokens.

“Whoa! Dendy, that was so cool!” I felt my cheeks heat again as I collected a token. “Copper pewter alloy, just as you thought K.O., this will be perfect.”  
His cheeks went red, and I smiled a little. He was rather… intriguing. Yes, that’s what he must be.

He cleared his throat. “So uh, next?”

Next, right. “I need a glorb.”

He blinked dumbly. “Wuzzat?”

“It’s a glowing orb, about the size of a small orange. They are used as power sources for many things, most commonly robots and other forms of advanced technology.”

K.O. perked up at my description, grabbing my hand and dragging me to my feet to follow him again. “Robots! I fight those all the time, and we just dump em in the back alley! We can probably get that glorb thing back there!”

I nodded, and though I loathed to end this research, it was getting late. “Yes, and upon finding the Glorb, that will be it.”

He hummed a bit, looking away from me. “But Dendy… how can that be it… when you’re it!” He tapped me on my shoulder lightly, then sprinted ahead. 

I had heard of this; it was called tag. I had never personally played, but had done enough research should the need come up to know how to continue. “Oh, yes. Of course!” I leapt forward in an attempt to  
tag him back, but narrowly missed. He truly was fast! After a few more failed attempts, I finally manage to place my hand on his back. “You are now it, K.O.!”

As I spun around to avoid being tagged immediately, He followed in pursuit, stumbling slightly on his own feet. “Ha-ha, Dendy, you’re faster than you look!”

I could not help myself. I admit, I had fun. “And this is far more fun than it looks!”

“That’s good, Dendy! Because you…. are it!” I noted in the back of my mind that K.O. must not only be incredibly fast, but also light, as he placed a hand on my head, having used it to not just tag me, but launch himself back into the air off of my head. 

“Not for long!” I was lost in the game, turning to chase him down once more, determined not to remain ‘it’ for to long. Neither he nor I payed our surroundings much mind, at least until K.O. realized he was only a foot from running into a fence. 

“Oops.” He let out a grunt as he hit the fence face first, and I laughed, gently setting my hand on his arm. “You are it again, K.O.”

I found that hearing him laugh made me warm inside, and I watched as he peeled himself from the fence, reaching out to make sure he didn’t stumble. He took my hand to steady himself, and I found  
myself once again grateful for my naturally cold skin. 

He smiled at me, and I realized something. I glanced away, but didn’t take my hand back. “Ah, I seem to have forgotten the task at hand. How unlike me.” I looked at K.O. again, watching as he opened the fence, inviting me to follow. 

“Glorbs are commonly fou- “I was cut off as K.O. ran ahead, grabbing onto a glowing orb and holding it above his head. 

“Dendy, I found it!” He waved it, clearly proud of himself. 

“I am sorry, K.O., that is a lovely glowing orb, but it is not a Glorb.”

He tilted his head at me. “They’re different?”

I nodded to him, looking away from him as I removed my hack-pack, setting it on the ground. “Yes, they are most commonly found inside the robot. I believe that may be a lure of some sort.

I now hate it when I am correct.

It was in fact a lure, and my eyes returned to K.O. to late to warn him of the danger he was in. I watched helplessly as a large robot rose from the rubble that K.O. stood upon, before snapping its jaws shut over him, swallowing him in one movement.

Looking back upon my actions after this, I feel little more than contempt for my pest self as I sat down, pulling my hack-pack closer as I pulled up a holo-computer and keyboard, typing notes away into my K.O. file.

Why I had not aided him sooner, I can still not answer properly. I suppose at the time, I was so engrossed in the chance to study K.O.’s strength that I did not care about the friend I was to make that night.

I heard K.O. state, in as calm a voice as he could manage, that he would escape. Perhaps I believed in him more than I had the data to support. I heard him beginning to punch at the metal insides of the robot, using sensors to level the strength of his punches. Each subsequent hit increased in power over the course of a half hour, but through the hour after that, his power dwindled to little more then in-effectual slaps. I heard him speak again.

I now hate what I heard him say to me then. And I hate my response to him.

“Dendy… I don’t think I can get out of here… Can you… can you take notes for me?”

I looked at my screens, pulling up a new document page. “That is possible, yes.”

“I need you to write my last will…”

I felt a knot form in my stomach. “Proceed.”

“Tell Rad, he can have my action figures….and Enid, she should…she should get my videos games…they should split my piggy bank….no, give it to mommy, she’ll need it, I think… And she can have my comics to…And tell them… I’m sorry I wasn’t enough…”

The knot tightened in my stomach. I had never started typing.

“A-And I guess… I should figure out who to give my POW cards to…”

I latched onto that. “You have POW cards??”

I heard him sniffle to himself. “Y-Yeah… I do… Do you?”

I nodded, pulling a cord from my hack-pack and approaching the robot that held K.O. in its mouth. “I do indeed!”

I heard him sniffle again. “I wish I’d known that before… we could have traded cards…”

I typed on my keyboard a rather simple command. Once I hit enter, the robot’s mouth opened, spitting K.O. into the air, before he landed heavily in front of me. I smiled, about to help him up before I froze in my tracks. 

His arms were black, what he had been wearing to cover them burnt away. “K.O.! You’re injured!”

He blinked, sitting up. “What do you- oh! Oh no!” He tried to cover his arms again, fresh tears falling. “You- you weren’t supposed to see them! I-I wasn’t- I—” 

I held out my hands, gently grabbing his wrists to stop his tugging. “K.O., let me help.”

He sniffled, but refused to meet my eyes. He at least didn’t pull away.

As I scanned over his hands and arms, I came to a rather startling realization. These wounds were old. I couldn’t even classify them as wounds, more so as though his body was stained by something. His skin was soft and warm, no different from a normal human’s skin. 

I glanced at him, and realized he was crying harder, yet made no sound as he did so. I pulled away quickly. “I am sorry, K.O., I did not intend to hurt you.”

His eyes widened, and he held up his hands. “N-No! It didn’t hurt! It felt... nice… No one has touched my hands and arms since the accident…”

I looked at him, gently taking his hands into mine again. “Tell me.”

And he did. He told me how he got hurt, how he felt about it, how everything affected him, and how he hadn’t told anyone else about his feelings, or anyone not at the Plaza about the incident in general. As he finished his story, he pinned me with an intense look. I gulped “Please. Don’t tell anyone.”

I found myself nodding. I had made my first promise to another, and I intended to keep it.

He smiled, and pulled me into a hug. “Thank you, Dendy…”

I felt my cheeks heat drastically, and I could only nod, returning the hug. He broke it after a moment, his seemingly ever-present smile returned. “Well, you said you collect POW cards?”

I smiled as well, grabbing my hack-pack and pressing a button, a compartment sliding open. I allowed myself to feel pride when I saw his eyes sparkle. “WOW! There must be like, 100 cards here!”

That gave me pause. “100?” I glanced down, and realized the problem. “Oh, my apologies.” I gave the pack a light hit, and the drawer opened even farther, earning another startled gasp from K.O.

I smiled as he sifted through them, pulling out my Doctor Venomous card. “HOLY COB! I’ve only seen this card online!”

I couldn’t help a giggle. “Untrue. You are holding it in your hand.” He blushed, and I found my cheeks heating as well 

“Yeah, that’s true, ha-ha.” 

I looked down at my cards. “I am sorry, K.O.”

He tilted his head a little. “I have been… insincere about my reasoning for spending time with you today. Truthfully I wished only to spend the day with you… analyzing your strength and trying to educate myself about you…”

There was a pause, before I heard him chuckle softly, his hand reaching out to rest on mine. “If you just wanted to hang out, you could have just said! We’re friends after all, Dendy.”

I placed my free hand on my cheek, feeling the heat emanate from them. “We are… friends?”

He nodded. “Of course, Dendy.”

We spent a while chatting about our POW cards before going our separate ways. As I was leaving, I pulled up K.O.’s info on my holo-screen, adding my own name with pride to his list of allies.

Example 3: Yesterday, K.O. approached me in the halls. The day prior, I had a difficult time at lunch, some of the school’s undesirable students approached, giving me some grief for things I payed little attention to.

When K.O. approached, he seemed concerned for me, asking if I was ok, as he had heard about the other students. I stated simply that I payed little mind to them. Regardless, I found him either spending all his time with me, or watching me from a distance. I might have complained were it any other person.

But since it was K.O., I found myself feeling almost… happy. 

End of D3N LOG.


	3. Shadows born to children worn ragged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadows reach to K.O. from the darkness, and bring about a powerful presence from within him.

K.O. had been taking up the habit of wrapping his arms in bandages and other bindings in an attempt to hide the blackness on them. The main problem with this plan was that whenever he got flustered or angry, they would mysteriously start to burn away, leaving him with nothing to cover the blackness again. He would always run off during these times, saying that he had something to do.

The reason he had started binding his arms to begin with was that there were some people in his life that shrunk away from him upon seeing his hands. People like random customers that came in didn’t hurt him so much, he could brush that off as surprise.

But when Rad, Enid, Mr. Gar and even his own mom shrank away from his touch. It hurt. Dendy and the ladies from the Dojo didn’t mind him that much, willing to give him hugs and touch his hands whenever the need arose, or they saw him upset. Him being upset was happening more often than he’d like to admit now, however he had also started to shut himself away from even that small group.  
When Dendy would approach at school, asking how he was or if he wanted to play with their POW cards, he would smile hesitantly, waving her off and stating that he had to get ready for a test she knew he could handle easily, or that he needed to get ready for work at the Bodega, even though she knew he already had his preparations cared for before he even left the house in the mornings.

At the Bodega itself, the women from the Dojo: Ginger, Gertie, and Gladys, started trying to pull him aside for chats, more often than not requested by his mother, he would either make up an excuse, or simple vanish before they could get a word in edgewise. 

The turning point in his behaviour seemed to have truly begun during a battle with an altered Shannon bot. She had been given an extra Glorb, giving her a boost in strength that none of them quite expected. As K.O., Enid and Rad fought against her, the youngest of the group had begun taking more risks than was strictly necessary. 

He would leap in the way of a punch, keeping it from hitting Enid, or use a power fist in an attempt to deflect one of Shannon’s buzz saws. Enid was getting tired of K.O.’s attempts to get between her and the bot, and threw a powerful kick, just as Shannon was turning away from a deflected hit from Rad. All seemed to be going well, the ball of flame blazing through the air towards the stunned bot, until she became enveloped in purple energy. 

That caught both of the girls off guard, Rad using his abilities to spin her around himself and throw her in the air, unaware of the fireball headed for his now exposed back. “K.O. now!” Rad had intended for K.O. to throw a power punch to blow up Shannon, but it took a moment longer than he expected for his little buddy to make his move. He heard a woosh from behind him, and with that, Shannon was destroyed by the blue energy fist.

Rad released his telekinesis, turning to grin at his friends only to be stunned into silence. K.O. was standing between Enid and himself, smoke rising in tendrils from K.O.’s back as he panted. Wiping sweat from his eyes, the young boy tried to straighten out, letting out a pained huff. “Woah… that took longer than I thought, ha-ha…” 

“K.O.! What happened? I didn’t think you got hit that bad!”

Enid was about to run to K.O. to apologize, but a sideways glance from the boy had her frozen in place. It wasn’t anger, or sadness or fear or anything like that. She stopped because he gave her a smile. One of his more recent shaky ones. A smile that conveyed rather easily that she wasn’t to say a thing.

She bit her lip near hard enough to bleed, approaching slower than she would have liked. “K.O., at least let me look at your wounds…”   
He shook his head, turning to her. “I’m fine, Enid! I say you got hurt though, are you alright?”

Her eyes widened and she looked down at a long but shallow cut she had gotten from one of Shannon’s buzz saws. She hadn’t noticed it before due to adrenaline, but turned her focus back to K.O. She lifted a hand, reaching out to take his in an attempt to make him listen to her, but as she did, she caught a look at his blackened arms. She froze again, staring at them. 

Rad looked on worriedly at the two, watching as K.O. saw the stare from Enid, pulling away from her and shoving his hands into his pockets. He gave another smile that never reached his eyes. “I’m fine, lets get you guys patched up.” And with that, he turned into the Bodega, disappearing behind the automatic doors.

Rad and Enid followed hesitantly, but refused to allow K.O. to bandage either of them, trying to get him to worry about himself instead.  
K.O. thought they didn’t want him to touch them. He sat in a chair in the corner, rolling his shoulder to test the pain in his back now that he had changed his singed clothing. The hit hadn’t hurt much, just burned him a little. He knew they had nothing to worry about from them, and yet they refused his help… 

Perhaps he had made a mistake during the battle?

His thoughts were cut short as Mr. Gar burst into the back room, standing at his full height as he looked at each worker in turn. Rad and Enid were quick to stand, saluting to their boss. As K.O. was about to follow suit, Gar held his hand up, freezing K.O. in place. 

“K.O., I want you to go home for the day.” 

The boy’s eyes went wide. “W-What? Why??” 

Gar looked over at Rad and Enid. “Make sure the boy goes to the Dojo, and don’t let him come back today.”

K.O. let out a small growl. “Why are you sending me home? Tell me!”

Gar glared at K.O. over his glasses. “Go. Home. You have been being reckless, and I can’t have you endangering everyone with your strength as it is!”

Gar saw the look of utter betrayal in the boy’s eyes, and felt guilty. He could have undoubtedly put that better. He had just meant that he was worried about the boy, having seen the recording of the fight and how he had attempted to take ever hit in place of his friend. He just wanted K.O. to rest for the day. 

K.O. thought Gar only meant he was to weak. He found himself thinking it true. His hands shook as they balled into fists, blue flame enveloping them as he glared at the ground. He was weak… To weak to protect his friends… or anyone…! He didn’t notice the purple flames licking amongst his pure blue.

Gar lifted a hand, about to try and apologize, when K.O. suddenly burst into a run, shoving past Gar and straight out of the Bodega. The older man looked at the doors K.O. just shouldered his way through, seeing a burnt hand print on one of the doors. He turned his attention to Rad and Enid, who’s glares could have frozen over Cool Sun. He shrank slightly, before clearing his throat. “I said what needed to be said.” And excused himself from the breakroom.

Rad folded his arms over his chest, reclining back against the couch as he sank into the cushy fabric. “He’s been weird…But, I guess so have we…”  
Enid looked questioningly at Rad. “What do you mean? Mr. Gar?”

The alien shook his head, pulling out his phone to swipe through his pictures. “K.O.”

At that, Enid sat beside him, watching the pictures flick by on the screen. They were of K.O. during his better days, smiling happily as he would hoarse around with Rad, or do ninja poses with Enid. Rad spoke again, his voice a little strained. “When we first met K.O., he wanted so bad to be a hero. He was just a weak little kid, but he tried his best. Always had people around him smiling.” He elbowed Enid. “Even got your cold heart to thaw a little.”

She smiled a little, reaching out to flick back to a previous picture. It was of all of them, dancing together as they laughed. “Yeah… He’s a pure kid… but what happened to him… isn’t it our fault?”

Rad nodded. “Yeah, but at first he didn’t let it get to him… until we changed.”

“What do you mean changed?”

Rad pointed at the picture on the phone, pointing at K.O.’s arms. “I’ve noticed it, I’m not quite as dense as everyone thinks. None of us touch him anymore. And when we try… We stop. Like you did today. You reached out to him, then froze. Why?”

She looked at Rad, then back at the picture. “I…Don’t really know. I guess I was… scared of hurting him?”

“But we all know his arms don’t hurt him.”

She looked down. “It’s like you said, Rad. It’s our fault he got hurt to begin with. He got hurt stepping in to protect us. We’re older than him! We should have protected him… But because we failed, he got hurt… I don’t want to hurt him again. I don’t want to fail him again…”

Rad nodded, swiping through a few other photos till he got to a more recent one. It was K.O. on his own. Rad remembered taking that photo. He sprung up behind K.O., telling K.O. to say Cheese.  
The look that Rad had captured told him all he needed to know about how much the boy had changed. The smile in the picture didn’t reach his eyes, looking practiced more so than natural, and there were tears at the corners of his eyes. It broke Rad’s heart to see someone so happy looking so miserable. 

Rad stood suddenly, nearly knocking Enid off of the couch as she scrambled to follow him up. He pocketed his phone and grinned at his friend. “We’re going to go find him, and make sure that he knows how much we care.”

K.O., meanwhile, had hidden himself behind the dumpsters behind the Bodega. He should have gone home like Mr. Gar told him. He knew if he got found, then he’d be in a lot of trouble, but he couldn’t get far in his current mental state. 

He jumped slightly when he heard someone whistling from across the ditch, looking up to see a man standing in shadows, whistling a tune he couldn’t place. The man spoke now, and K.O. felt a shiver claw up his spine at the icy smoothness of the others voice.

“Aah, K.O… I’ve been waiting to get a chance to meet you… Such an interesting boy you are…”

K.O. felt a slight blush dust his cheeks as he looked away. “Interesting? Listen mister, I think you’ve got the wrong boy.”

The stranger tsked, lifting a hand to indicate what he was speaking about. “Wrong? Hardly, my boy. I see the co-err, power you have been touched with.” That really got K.O.’s attention. He stood up, walking to the edge of the ditch as he squinted, trying to make out the others features. 

The man stepped forward, taking a card out of his pocket and tossing it across the gap between them, K.O. managing to catch it as he looked it over. “Oh, wow! You’re level 8, mister?”   
The man, now revealed to be shadowy figure, took a deep and elegant boy, offering the other a dapper smile. “Yes, my boy. I know power… I can help you unlock yours…”

K.O. looked down at the card again, before glancing back at the Bodega, the fight from earlier replaying in his mind, warped by his own anxieties about his inadequacy. He looked back towards Shadowy Figure, who was holding his hand out to the boy. He took a deep breath, then grabbed his hand. Shadowy figure gave a small tug, helping K.O. to leap the gap and land safely on the grass in front of him.   
Shadowy Figure smiled, leading K.O. into deep, deep into the forest, stopping only once they reached a clear stream. “Here. Here is where I’ll teach you the key to your power, my boy.”

K.O. smiled up at him. Shadowy still hadn’t released his hand, and he was enjoying the contact. He hadn’t realized how starved he had been for it, not until Shadowy finally did break the contact. K.O. snapped himself from his thoughts with a shake of his head, looking at their surroundings. “Here? But why…?”

The man looked down at K.O., ruffling his hair. “Because this place is special to you. It’s where you first learned from your mother how to control your temper…correct?”

The boy was surprised upon hearing that. When he took a closer look, he had to concede that the man was right. Before we could ask any questions, Shadowy continued. “As such, this will be the perfect place to learn how to unleash your anger…”

“Why would I…I don’t understand, mister Shadowy Figure, why would I need my anger?”

At that, Shadowy knelt in front of K.O., resting a hand on the boy’s arm. After his time watching him, Shadowy knew full well that physical contact would make K.O. trust him implicitly. 

He hit the nail on the head with that. 

K.O. stopped questioning, instead listening to what was said next. “It’s a stronger emotion than any other… stronger than happiness, stronger than fear… stronger even than love, my boy. So, I need you to get angry… Angry at the world! Angry at your friends… They shun you now, K.O., they shun you because you are weak, but they don’t know what I do! They can’t see your power… yet.”

The boy bit his lip, his hands shaking slightly. It really was true, especially if even a stranger could see it. He was weak, and they hated him for it. He hated himself for it! His eyes screwed shut as his shoulders began to shake.

Shadowy Figure watched as the blackness on the boy’s arms crept slowly up towards his shoulders. “Yes, K.O., feel the rage bubble inside of you… look deep into yourself, and find your anger…your power!”

When next K.O. opened his eyes, he realized he wasn’t in the clearing anymore. He was in an empty, dark space, two round glass windows cast in darkness behind him, and a cage sitting in the center of the room. 

K.O. knew this place, but only because it was part of him. He was inside of his own mind now. He stepped closer to the cage, feeling waves of emotion spread off of it. The one he felt most powerfully was anger, just as Shadowy figure had said. He bit his lip, looking through the bars to see what could only be described as a black, bubbling mass of pure hatred. 

“Ew… what is that thing…?” 

He heard Shadowy Figures voice echo in his mind space. “That, my boy, is your power incarnate. All you need do now, is feed it what it needs…You! You’re anger and hatred and rage will give it form…”   
K.O. thought of all the times he had ever made a mistake, every time someone was hurt because of him, every time he disappointed his friends or family….

Shadowy let out a menacing chuckle as he watched the blackness engulf K.O.’s arms entirely, bleeding into his chest as it swirled over where his heart rested. He placed a hand over the boy’s chest, his own fingers sparking with purple electricity as it jumped and arced onto K.O.’s skin. “Just breath. Let the power flow through you… let it take over! Show the world your strength!”

In his mind, K.O. stared at the creature, for it could only be described as such, as it took a more solid form within the confines of its cage. It reached out with arms and claws made of liquid shadow, gripping the bars as it pushed out. 

He could hear a distorted voice coming from the creature. 

Let me out!

Release me!

I need out!

He found himself reaching out his hand, as though from a distance, as he reached out towards the bars. As soon as he gripped the bars, the cage flew open, knocking him back as the creature stepped out.

Shadowy figure took a step back, removing his hand from K.O.’s chest as he watched the black corruption spread out from his heart, covering his body in its entirety. He let out a deep cackle, rubbing his hands together as K.O.’s eyes snapped open, glowing a deep purple as a flame of the same color engulfed him, seeming to lift him off of his feet. As he floated in the air, his headband caught alight, burning away as it allowed his hair to fall free. He flexed his fingers, the sweatbands on his wrists changing in color, spikes sprouting from them.

Within the mind-space, K.O. stared up as the liquid shadow took on a more definite form, solidifying until it looked similar to himself, but with dark purple eyes as opposed to his own warm brown. The other K.O.’s hair was loose and flowed down his back, spiked in places from the unruly locks. The shadow-given-form stared down at K.O. and grinned, landing before him as his form finished solidifying. K.O. noticed that the energy sparking through the air was similar in feeling and power to what first burned his arms.

K.O. took a step back towards the cage, his alter form stepping forward in time with his retreat. He soon found his foot making contact with the cold metal of the cage. He only had a second to react before the door slammed shut in his face. He was trapped, and this new, darker form vanished from his view, and he was left with nothing more than the two blackened windows. It was then he realized it was a view to the outside world as the blackness lifted, revealing the shadowy figure laughing, clapping happily. “Yes, my boy! This is your true power; this is what you were born with! Now go, and show your ‘friends’ at the Bodega that you are stronger than any of them!”

K.O. stood in the grass, in his new form, and grinned wickedly. “You don’t have to tell me twice~”

Rad and Enid had no luck in looking for their young friend, being forced by Mr. Gar to resume their job when the warning for a Boxmore robot came. They begrudgingly exited the Bodega, watching as the usual Boxmore box dropped from the sky, splitting open to reveal Derrell. 

Enid groaned loudly. “Are you KIDDING me?!” The glared daggers at Darrell, who seemed entirely undeterred. 

He puffed his chest and rested his fists on his hips. “Greetings, Lakewood LOOSERS! My daddy sent me with a special upgrade that will wipe out this entire Plaza!!”

Rad and Enid shared a look of uninterest. They were about to tell Darrell to simply go away when they suddenly saw his chassis split open in the middle. He began to quickly expand, and before either teen’s were able to make a move, the robot towered above them. 

Darrell spoke again, his voice deep with distortion from the size change. “Ha-ha! Now I’ll blow you all away!” And with that statement, a sickly green glow began to build in a cavity in his chest. Enid crouched low, a fire engulfing her feet as she readied to attack. Rad was shaking a little. 

“Shouldn’t we go get help? There is NO WAY we can take down that Darrell ourselves!”

Enid shook her head. “No time, Rad. Get ready… And if we don’t make it, I’m s- “

Just as Darrell seemed ready to discharge the laser, it powered down. There was a moment of confusion shared by all parties. Darrell opened his mouth to speak, but as he did, his body split. He began to fall to pieces, collapsing into a pile of useless scrap before the teen’s eyes. 

Stepping out of the rubble was the last person they expected, but they certainly were not about to argue it. They sprinted forward, meeting K.O. as he stepped out from the smoke. Rad moved to scoop him up into a hug, but a glare from the boy stopped him. 

“K.O.! We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Where have you- “ 

K.O. lifted a hand, cutting Rad off. “It’s Turbo K.O., not K.O., though you can call me T.K.O. for short.”

And without another word, T.K.O. walked past them towards the Bodega. 

Enid and Rad shared a concerned glance, before Enid broke the silence. “What’s gotten into him? And why is he all black now…?”

T.K.O. paused in his steps, turning to the teens as he let out a soft, deep chuckle. “I’m a whole new animal… don’t expect your pushover of a friend, because I. Push. Back.” With that, T.K.O. stepped into the Bodega to return to his duties as a worker, though he would much rather fight. He had so much pent up energy, he felt like he was about to explode!

Later that night, when Carol stopped by to pick up her son, she nearly let out a scream when she saw the boy approach. That got a devilish grin out of T.K.O., and as he stepped passed his mother, he bit at the air between them, causing her to recoil in fear. Good! She should be afraid of him!

He slipped into the vehicle, folding his arms and staring out the window. When Carol didn’t move from her spot, simply staring at him, he snapped at her. “What? Scared? Get in the damn car and drive!”

Oh. Oh, he did NOT just talk to his mother like that! She glared at him, but that only got him to sneer at her in response. She marched around to the driver’s seat, slipping in and staring at him through the rear-view. “Seatbelt.”

He growled in response, but seeing how she wasn’t relenting, he sighed, grabbing the seatbelt and clicking it into place. 

They drove home in silence, T.K.O. shutting down any attempts at conversation with from his mom. Only one thing she said got a proper response from him. “Hon… what happened to you…? You’re not you…”

At that, he gave her what she could only describe as the look of a villain. “I’m T.K.O., and I’m strong. And that weakling is never coming back.”

The next morning when Carol and T.K.O. arrived back to work, the single mother looked like she hadn’t had any rest, while T.K.O. seemed to have taken great pleasure in making his mothers night a waking nightmare. He walked into the Bodega without even a wave to Carol, and slipped on his headphones, blasting the music to tune out the annoyances of the world around him.

He considered sitting in the break room and wasting the entire day, but figured he may as well maintain some semblance of his former routine. He grabbed the nearest mop and bucket, setting to work on lazily cleaning a single spot on the floor. He was oblivious to his co-workers talking conspiratorially about him behind the front counter. 

Enid watched the purple clad boy, whispering to Rad. “I don’t get it… He’s so different now, and that black burn of his… I’m not sure it ever was a burn at all. His whole body is covered with that black stuff…”

Rad nodded. “Yeah, that’s not how burns usually work… And that whole Turbo thing… Ever heard of Turbo? Seems like he got that from somewhere…”

Enid hummed in affirmation. “I agree… but I’ve never heard of it before… I don’t think he’d tell us if we asked either…”

Rad nodded, standing up and walking towards T.K.O.

He stooped over and plucked the headphones off of the boy’s head, earning an indignant screech of rage from him as he tried and failed to grab the device back before Rad could levitate it out of reach. T.K.O. let out a deep growl, sending a shiver up Rad’s spine. He cleared his throat. “Listen, K.O.- “

“T.K.O.”

Rad rolled his eyes. “Right, whatever. What’s gotten into you little buddy?”

T.K.O. set a hand on his own chest, glaring at Rad. “This wonderful power happened! I’m strong now, and I can do whatever I want! So why in Cob’s name is everyone on my case! You, Enid, even the adults! Everyone around me wanted me strong, and now I am! Yet all I get is looks of disgust! People talking behind my back!” At that, he glared pointedly at Enid as well before returning his stare to Rad, who had taken a step back. “Or do you not think I’m strong enough?”

He pulled his hand away from his chest, purple electricity sparking off of his fingertips. “I can prove it to you… With a power battle!” Before Rad had time to react, T.K.O. gave him a hard uppercut to the gut, sending the green alien shooting up through the roof and far out of sight. The boy stared at his hand, marveling at his own strength for a moment before turning on a stunned Enid. “You’re turn~” Though a singsong voice, it carried all of his malice in the tune.

Enid gulped, barely dodging out of the way as T.K.O. shot towards her, punching her duplicate log into splinters. Enid leapt out of the way of another two hits before making her way onto the roof. She looked around desperately for Rad, but saw no sign of him. “Cob! He must have ended up knocked into the stratosphere… how strong was K.O. now? She managed to move out of the way just in time of him busting a new hole through the roof below her feet. She’d need backup, and she knew just where to get it. 

Her and T.K.O. began a game of cat and mouse over the Plaza roof-tops, leaving a wake of destruction everywhere they went. She spotted Rad coming back down to earth, wincing as she saw him hit the pavement and leave a crater. She’d have checked on him were it not for the insanely strong child currently trying to flambee her butt. 

Rad whimpered, trying to move any part of his body. He felt like everything was broken… and it was likely true after that hit. He opened his eyes a bit, seeing A.R.M.S. and Brandon looking in on him from the edge of his crater. He let out another pained whimper, and A.R.M.S. shouted down to him something about moving his jaw to talk clearer. Well no duh! 

When he spotted Enid dodge another swipe from the maddened boy’s hand, he realized he needed to help in some way. He tried again to force himself up. “I-I got-to help- “When he fell back again, he realized he couldn’t do it without a little help. He used his power to envelop himself, his world going violet as he hoisted himself off the ground. He flew up onto the roof, raising an arm in spite of the pain, to cast a beam over T.K.O., stopping him in his tracks. “G-Go, Enid… I got this…”

Enid hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Just hold on, I’ll get help.”

Rad smiled a bit. “Don’t move, K.O.”

T.K.O. let out a growl, throwing a fist and breaking through the purple forcefield as though it was made of paper. Rad felt a pit open in his stomach.

Oh Cob, this was going to hurt.

Rad barely had time to process what happened before he found himself back in the Bodega parking lot, deep within an entirely knew crater. Maybe he should just… lay down for a minute.

Enid called for T.K.O.’s attention from the parking lot, and watched as the boy floated up into the air, purple flames burning in the palms of his hands. He chuckled. “You ready to face me now, coward?”

She shook her head, gesturing behind her to indicate Carol, who was standing there. “No, I went and got back up.”

T.K.O. rolled his eyes, folding his arms over his chest.

Carol looked at the Plaza surrounding her, watching as purple fire engulfed much of what hadn’t been straight up demolished by her very own son. She returned her attention to the boy hovering in the air a few meters away, and felt tears prick at her eyes. “K.O. please, you know I’m usually supportive of you- “

She was cut off as the boy in the air launched a power fist at her feet, nearly knocking her over. “Supportive?! How!? Ever since this- “He indicated the blackness covering his body. “-happened, you’ve treated me like the plague! Do you know how hard it is for me when you, my own mom, doesn’t even hug me good night anymore?! Well enough! I wont stand for you all looking down on me…”

He swiped his arm through the air, sending out an energy wave that sliced through a tree with no effort. “I am strong now. He made me realize I was stronger than any of you! You won’t treat me like that ever again!!”

He swiped his arms through the air more, sending out more waves of purple crackling energy. 

It was during this onslaught that Mr. Gar showed up, and Carol turned to him. “Eugene! You have to talk to him!”

Gar looked away from Carol, scratching his arm. “I-I don’t know what good I could do…”

Carol shook her head, grabbing his hands and forcing him to look at her, his glasses falling askew. “Please! He looks up to you… you need to tell him how you feel! He’ll listen to you, Eugene!”

He swallowed thickly, feeling like he was suddenly chewing on cotton balls. He nodded hesitantly before turning to face T.K.O., who was still cheerily sending out waves of destruction. Gar cleared his throat loud enough for the boy to hear. He stopped, looking down at Gar expectantly.

“K-K.O.! I um, w-well you see…I…”

T.K.O. rolled his eyes. “How many times do I have to say it, it’s T.K.O.!”

Gar fidgeted in place a bit. “A-Alright, T.K.O. then… I, well you see…”

No one seemed to notice it, but T.K.O. calmed upon having someone actually say his name as he wanted. Some of the black fading from his shoulders as he gave Gar a little more of his attention. 

And then he blew it.

Gar shouted at the top of his lungs after finally working up his courage. “I LOVE YOUR MOTHER!”

The Plaza seemed to go silent, to the point one could hear a pin drop.

Carol quietly cleared her throat, barely able to hide her blush as she gently tapped Gar on the shoulder. “Err, that’s not what I meant, Eugene. I meant for you to tell him how much you care for him…”

Enid facepalmed hard as Gar just flustered, stumbling over his words as he tried to figure out what he was SUPPOSED to say while trying not to think of what he DID say.

“A-Ah! Right, I um, err, that is to say, umm…”

T.K.O. let out a roar, the black covering his skin again as he did so. “ENOUGH!”

He floated back further into the sky. “I’ve had enough of you! All of you! I don’t want to hear another word!”

Fire engulfed him entirely, purple electricity arcing between the tongues of flame and his skin. He sped down towards the group, slamming down between them as the flames exploded out, forming into a dome around him.

Carol and Gar’s eyes flew open, terror freezing them in place in spite of the fact they knew this attack, and knew they should run.

As T.K.O. drew his fists back into the air to slam down again, the dome drew in dimension around him, covering more area and enveloping all it touched.

He repeated this again, and again, and again, enlarging the dome with every hit, taking in more innocents and more area. 

First Enid, who collapsed when taken.

Then Gar and Carol, able to resist for a moment, clinging to each other before succumbing

Even A.R.M.S. couldn’t stop the wave of purple energy. Falling to pieces upon being hit.

Brandon let out a cry. “No! My skeleton!” He spun to stand against the power, but failed as the rest did.

Rad closed his eyes tight as the energy made it to him. There was no escape for any of them.

K.O. opened his eyes within his mind-scape prison, even feeling the burst of power from within. He looked towards the view port to the real world, and let out a desperate cry. He gazed out among the sight of all of his friends laying badly injured in front of him, even his mom and Mr. Gar lay in a defeated heap, Mr. Gar’s arm draped protective arm around his mom. 

He saw himself approach the two adults. And threw himself at the cage door, reaching his arms through the bars in an attempt to stop himself somehow from within. He caught sight of his own catching alight in purple flame as he reeled back for a punch, aiming it at his barely conscious mom. 

He screamed, throwing himself against the cage again, imagining him punching the Turbo version of himself. Before he realized it, just that had happened. He had thrown himself out of the cage, and he watched as he punched his alter form in the cheek, knocking him back a few paces.

K.O. stood straight, looking at his own fists and he fully processed what he’d done. He’d escaped! He could get his body back! He queued himself up for a fight, his fists coming up in front of himself for defence. 

T.K.O. snapped to attention after shaking off his dizziness. Spotting K.O. out of the cage and geared up for a fight. He glared daggers at his better half. “What are you doing out of that cage?!”

The boy in question gave no answer, just resettling his stance. 

He let out a cry of rage, and T.K.O. launched himself at K.O., tackling him in the gut in an attempt to shove him back to the cage. 

K.O. nearly slipped before rolling onto his back, using the momentum to get his feet under T.K.O. and throwing him forward over his head. He scrambled to his feet as his Turbo half slid across the floor, scrambling into a standing position as he finally skidded to a stop. 

He let out a near-feral growl as he made another leap at K.O., this time aiming a slash at him. 

It became a game of chase, T.K.O. throwing a hit only for the other to narrowly dodge him. 

Back and forth they went with hits, either hoping to get the upper hand. Unfortunately, K.O. began to waiver, the other growing stronger in turn. “Ha-ha!! I’ll win this, I’m stronger! Your fear of me feed my power! I’ll win, and you’ll be the one stuck in a cage forever! Just like I was!” T.K.O. gave the other a mighty shove, pushing him towards the cage. 

K.O. stumbled, bracing himself against the metal bars. He glanced back, fear coursing through him from the cold metal beneath his fingers. He looked back towards the snarling boy, and he heard his mother's voice whisper to him. 

‘Remember, K.O., strength takes Focus…! Just focus…’

“Focus…” He whispered to himself, closing his eyes as he emptied his mind.

He was unaware of the warm red flame flickered to life around him. 

As his alter aimed a hit for him, He raised his hand, deflecting the fist easily. Again, he struck, and again K.O. deflected.

Again.

And again.

T.K.O. let out a roar, aiming another hit. “Let me hit you! Let me win!” 

This time, K.O. grabbed the others arm as he let it slide past him, then used the force of the others attack to carry him forward into the cage, slamming him against the far wall.

T.K.O. spun around on the bottom of the cage, his eyes going wide as tears threatened to spill. “N-No! You can’t put me back in the cage! You can’t keep me in here! You can’t, I- “

K.O. slammed the cage door shut, the resounding clang ringing through the air.

His eyes snapped open, and he quickly realized he was back into his own body. He gasped sharply, whipping around to find his family and friends. 

He found them kneeling around him, all looking at him worriedly. His gaze fell on his mommy, and he sniffled quietly. Carol reached out for him. “K.O., is that you…?”

He broke, letting out a wail as he fell into his mom’s arms, clinging to her as he sobbed into her clothes. “M-Mommy! I’m so-sorry, there was another m-me and he was scary and he p-put me in a cage and…and…”

She hushed him gently, petting his hair. “Shh, it’s ok, Peanut, it’s alright… you’re back to normal now, and that’s what matters… well, almost normal…” She pulled away from her boy, and dug into her pocket, producing from it one of K.O.’s red headbands. 

He gasped softly, reaching out and taking it from her. He stretched it out, holding it over his head before snapping it into place. He let out a sigh, his other forms features fading away from his body and clothes.

When he next opened his eyes, he was indeed back to normal, his skin returning to its former color, leaving only the arms black, though less covered his arms now, even if just by a little. 

He smiled at his friends, and they smiled back. For the first time in a long time, K.O. had given them a true and honest smile.


	4. Let the fur fly!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new robot and an old memory come around, leaving the Bodega trio in a hairy situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time, just to showcase the difference between this stories version of puppy K.O. and the shows. I needed to write it for two reasons. One, fluff instead of angst, I needed a happy break! Two, The form difference will come in later~ :)

The entire escapade with T.K.O. had done a little good. Enid and Rad where a lot better with K.O., able to interact with him a little more freely. They still hesitated sometimes, but whenever they would see him upset, they’d pull him aside, let him talk it out, and give him a hug.

He enjoyed that, but still felt like he was being a bother. At least his situation had improved. Of course, there was always his alter ego yelling to be let out in the back of him mind, so he had been losing sleep. He was afraid if he let down his guard, T.K.O. would escape and cause havoc again.

The Bodega workers had actually had a pretty slow week this time around, with K.O. having already cleaned the Bodega to a sparkling shine by an hour into his shift, and Enid actually welcomed customers to break the tedium, few and far between as they were. Rad had decided he would shuffle around all the produce as a sort of prank, that way at least one or two customers might have to come to him for help.

All three nearly cried joyfully when they heard the alarm for a Boxmore bot, dropping what little they were doing as they ran out onto the parking lot, watching with baited breath as the clouds swirled in the sky, parting in the center as the familiar box dropped down, landing with a heavy thud.

Rad cracked his knuckles. “Who do you think it is? I kind of hope it’s a Shannon, at least she puts up a good fight!”

Enid laughed, making a mock kissy face at the alien. “You sure that’s why? You sure you don’t just wanna see your ex?”

K.O. laughed at the others antics, not noticing the trouble whatever bot inside the box was having in getting out. The boy tugged gently on Rad’s crop top to get his attention. “Um, Rad, shouldn’t it have come out by now?”

The alien glanced at the box, tilting his head slightly as he watched the walls shake on it. “Yeah, you’re right lil buddy… Oh, Cob don’t tell me it’s a Jethro! I don’t wanna cream a bot that can’t even get out of its own box!”

Enid sighed, losing her earlier excitement. “Right now, I’d rather fight all the Box-bots at once, a Jethro will barely whet my appetite…”

She was about to make her way back into the Bodega, when she heard the sharp sound of metal cutting through metal. She looked back at the box, startled to see what could only be described as an M carved into the metal, before it finally fell open.

As the smoke cleared from within the box, it was revealed that a yellow, animal looking robot was sitting in the center, doing its level best to groom itself. K.O. couldn’t help but coo at it. “Awe, it looks cute! Like a cat!”

He moved to approach it, the robot pausing in its action to watch him with sharp eyes. When K.O. was just about a meter from the bot, he smiled, holding his hand out. “Hi! My name is Kaio Kincaid, but you can call me K.O.! What’s your name?”

The robot let out a purring sound. “Mikayla!” 

K.O. let out a little cheary squeak, clapping his hands over his mouth as he bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. “Ooh, Mikayla! That’s a really pretty name!” He giggled, getting lost in his conversation with the yellow robot. “You don’t want to hurt us, right? You’re just a sweet little thing~” 

Rad almost thought it was cute how K.O. was trying to make friends with a Box-bot, but realized quickly that wasn’t going to work, his purple energy shooting out from his finger to envelop K.O. as Mikayla lifted her paw for a strike. “K.O. watch out!” And just as Mikayla brought down her paw, slashing the air, Rad pulled K.O. back towards himself and Enid, catching the boy easily as Mikayla let out a metallic growl, lowering herself into a position to pounce. 

Enid leapt into the fight, aiming kicks at the robot as she dodged out of the way. No matter how hard Enid tried, she couldn’t land a hit! She was getting more and more frustrated, becoming more haphazard with each subsequent miss. 

It was then that Rad leapt in, catching Mikayla in his purple energy beam and freezing her in place. “Hah, got ya, you feisty thing!” The bot let out a growl, and started to slam herself around inside of the bubble encasing her. Rad yelped as he tried to keep a hold on her, but to no avail. He was forced to let go to dodge a light pole Mikayla had knocked over in her thrashing. 

K.O. jumped up and off of Rad’s back, using his friend as leverage to get a bit more height on his leap. He then let gravity take him down towards the yellow Box-bot, his fist glowing with blue flame as he readied to throw a power fist. “You’ve been a bad kitty!” 

He thought he had Mikayla dead to rights, but she reached her claws out at the last second, catching K.O. across the cheek and throwing off his aim, the power fist creating a scorch in the cement right next to the yellow robot, who grinned and let out a purr of laughter. She retreated quickly, to fast for any of the Bodega workers to catch up, tired now as they were.

K.O. flopped onto his back, staring at the sky. “Well that was a bust…”

Rad came beside him, sitting on the pavement and sighing heavily. “I hear ya, lil buddy. We gotta get on her level if we’re going to take her down…”  
Enid nodded, standing behind Rad as she stared off into the forest that Mikayla vanished into. “She’s biding her time, waiting to strike again. We have to somehow get stronger before she gets back…”  
It was then that all three of their attentions were drawn to Rad’s van, a knock on the window coming from within. Rad stood quickly, ready for a fight until he saw the passenger window roll down, revealing a smiling Dendy within. “Hello, friends!”

K.O. smiled brightly, quickly getting to his feet and running to greet his school friend. “Dendy!”

Enid was just as enthusiastic in her greeting, but Rad seemed a little creeped out. “Dendy… what are you doing in my van…?”

The question went unanswered as Dendy pulled up a holo-screen, typing a few things on it. “I saw your plight with that Mikayla robot. I would suggest leveling the playing field before her imminent return.”

K.O. bounced on his heels. “Oh, Dendy! How can we do that? You have an idea, don’t you?” 

She blushed slightly before nodding, the Kappa turning the screen towards her friends as the screen showed the basic figure of a standard human. “Mikayla is fighting using animal instincts. By my calculations, were you to tap into those instincts, you would no doubt prevail!”

Enid tilted her head. “And how would we do that?”

A new image appeared on the screen, that of a were-wolf. “That, is easy. Being bitten by a were-beast will activate an animalistic transformation in all of you.”

K.O. applauded his friend, turning to Rad and Enid excitedly. “Cool! Now all we have to do is get bitten!”

Rad nodded, looking around. “But, where do we find a were-animal so fast?”

Enid scanned the area, her sight stopping on a familiar purple fluff ball sitting on the bus bench. “How about Crinkly Wrinkly? He’s a were-fox, right?”

The youngest of the group gasped, sprinting towards the purple were-fox in question. As soon as he arrived, he smiled brightly at the elder. “Crinkly Wrinkly, we need you help! We need you to bite us!”

Crinkly Wrinkle let out a chirpy laugh, looking from K.O. to the approaching teens. “You sure there, sonny? No take backs!” When all three teens nodded eagerly, the old fox couldn’t help an almost sinister grin, lunging at each in turn and biting them harder than he strictly needed to, drawing more blood than perhaps he intended. As each of the Bodega workers nursed their new wounds, they were shocked to find Crinkly gone, glancing over and seeing him already comfortable on a passing bus. “Enjoy your new curse, kiddies!”

Enid just barely held back offering the old man a rude gesture, scratching at the new wound on her arm. “Some curse, you old codger! Nothing even happened!”

“Um, Enid, you have another pony tail…on your butt?” At K.O.’s words, Enid glanced behind her, seeing the little white puff sitting nicely just above the line of her pants, she focused on it, and realized she had enough control to wiggle it. 

“K.O., I don’t think that’s a pony tail…I think it’s a…” She paused in her words as her ears shifted easily to take the form similar to that of a rabbit. She looked down at her hands as the structure changed, her fingers growing a little stubbier as the pads turned to small soft toe beans. She flexed her new paws, looking down at her feet as they tore free from her shoes, growing to large to fit in them anymore. She grinned widely, feeling delicate whiskers lift on her soft muzzle as her furry little nose became a new focus of hers. She lifted a leg and slammed it down on the pavement, the force sending her effortlessly into the air as she landed with a skip in her step next to the boys. “Bunny’s!”

Rad and K.O.’s eyes lit up, and Rad could feel his own transformation beginning. “I bet I’m something powerful! Like a were-wolf!” He looked at his hands s his nails lengthened into sharp claws, his hands covering in fur as the pads of his fingers to changed into soft and silky toe beans he barely kept from petting himself. He watched as the teal fur raced up along his arms, traveling under his clothes until he was covered head to toe in it. He flexed his newly covered muscles, expecting a howl to rip powerfully through him. Instead, he let out a mew as a long and fluffy tail sprouted from his backside, pointed and perky ears popping though his hair and a bell manifesting itself on a collar around his neck. He looked himself over quickly, tapping his bell and eliciting a soft tone from it. “Or a cat works to.” He wiggled his new damp nose, watching as his whiskers danced in his vision.

K.O. let out a small excited squeal at seeing his friend’s new forms. “I wonder what I’ll be?” He began listing off possible animals he thought were heroic or cool or even cute, not quite noticing when he sprouted a poofy tail, which wagged along with his cheery mood.

That had Rad and Enid screaming excitedly. “A puppy, of course!”

K.O. looked up at them, then down at himself as he sure enough became covered in a light brown fur, the shaggy hair at the side of his ears melding with his existing ears as they shifted form to that of a floppy eared dog. The speed of his tails wagging doubled in speed as he looked himself over. While the blackness on his arms hadn’t gone away, it looked rather cool to him to see black fur rising up from his paws as it reached to his elbows, slightly longer and shaggy than the rest of his fur. He couldn’t help a giggle as Rad and Enid reached over, petting his head. Oh, that felt great! He leaned into the petting, giving a little happy yip as his foot beat against the ground like a dog whose happy scratch spot had been found.

Enid bit back another squeal at the adorable sight in front of her, noticing that even Rad’s tough exterior melted upon the sight of the boy turned were-puppy. Rad scooped K.O. up, giving him a snuggle. “You’re so warm and soft!”

K.O. giggled, reaching out to pet Rad’s ear, which elicited a content purr from the alien-cat hybrid. “You’re soft to, Rad!”

Enid thought she would get off scot free until both boys looked at her with a mischievous glint in their eyes. She let out a squeak, barely able to take a step back before she was pounced upon. She didn’t put up as much of a fight as her dignity demanded as the two boys set about petting her new fur, marveling at just how soft it was. K.O. let out a small whine like a kicked puppy. “No fair! Why are bunnies so much softer than puppies!” 

Enid held up her hands, giggling as Rad found a ticklish spot and took advantage of his new find. “H-Hey, let’s just all agree we’re adorable, ok?”

Rad and K.O. relented to that, but stopped in their enjoyment of their new forms as they saw Mikayla trying to sneak past them, holding something in her mouth. 

K.O. tilted his head, quickly righting himself to stand on his foot-paws. “Is that…” He sniffed the air, catching the scent of burnt metal. “The Darrell from my first day…? I thought you guys trashed that thing?” 

Enid and Rad got into a fighting stance. Rad let out an angry hiss, making Mikayla temporarily drop her find and return the hiss with just as much menace. “We dumped it into the usual alleyway, but nothing exactly comes to clear that spot.”

Mikayla knew the danger was higher with this encounter, and that she may not make it back in one piece. She grabbed up the discarded Darrell torso again, turning and dashing towards Boxmore. Enid pounded her feet against the ground, making a mighty leap to land in front of the fleeing bot, cutting off her escape. 

Rad lowered himself to all fours, sprinting forward to pounce on Mikayla’s back, causing her to let out a shriek as she whipped around in an attempt to shake him off to no avail. Given his heavy build and slightly larger frame, he was able to flip onto his back, bringing Mikayla up into the air over him before using his powerful body to throw her up into the air. “Go K.O.!”

That was his que! K.O. felt power sparking off his fur as it stood on end, and it began to coalesce in his core. He took a deep breath, gathering the power in one focal point before letting out a loud howling noise, sending a shockwave of power directly at Mikayla, who was unable to dodge from her position in mid air. 

As she was hit, she released the Darrell torso as it and herself were blasted towards Boxmore, now defeated.

They watched as the box-bot blasted a hole in the side of the factory as it disappeared from view, and began cheering. K.O. leapt up, his tail wagging a mile a minute as he whooped and hollered. “We did it! We did it!! Ha-ha!”

Rad rushed to him, scooping him up and tossing him in the air before catching him again. “K.O. that was awesome! How’d you know you could do that?”

K.O. shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know, I just felt something sort of…swirling in my chest, and boom!” He threw out his arms to emphasize the boom. Rad couldn’t help a grin. “I wonder if I have some sort of like, power meow!”

Enid came behind the green cat teen and pet his hair, earning a contented purr from him. She laughed at the expected reaction. “Your power right now is disarming purr, I think.”  
The three basked in their shared victory, completely forgetting the thing that Mikayla had come for.

Boxmore hadn’t though. He stood looking over the damaged wall of him factory, a new Mikayla bot purring at his feet as he held the broken torso of the old Darrell bot, chuckling darkly to himself. “Now, I can work on the perfect robot child… one to finally take down those over-powered kids!”


	5. Pure rage and corrupt intents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K.O. finally gets a chance to confront Shadowy Figure after their first meeting. He may be about to make a mistake he won't be able to take back.

K.O. had just finished mopping up the Bodega’s floor to a fresh new shine, looking over it to admire his work. He smiled to himself, gripping his mop a little tighter as he felt a small swell of pride in his chest. He glanced down at his hands. Even though Dendy had made he, Rad and Enid human suits to regain their original forms, it seemed as though regardless what codes she wrote or how she changed the material, the blackness still showed through. 

He let out a small huff, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He didn’t have long to wait for some form of distraction, as Gar burst in from seemingly nowhere, calling them all front and center. “BOGEDA MEN! To me!”

Before Gar even had time to blink, all three of his employees were standing at attention in front of him, giving him a smart salute. He almost allowed his pride to show on his face.  
Almost.

He cleared his throat. “Kids, I’ve got bad news. We have reports of…a Plaza creeper.”

There was a beat of silence before any of the kids spoke up. K.O. lifted his hand. “Um, Mr. Gar, what’s a Plaza creeper, sir?”

Gar pulled a remote out of his pants pocket, pressing a button on it. This dropped a screen from the ceiling behind him, which flickered to life with a video of the back of the Bodega, in the trench K.O. remembered from his encounter with Shadowy figure.

And then K.O. saw him. His eyes widened and he could feel T.K.O. thrash against the cage he was locked in in his mind. He winced, a hand coming up to rub his temple as he watched Shadowy figure slither along the ground, slipping into a pipe gutting out of the trench wall.

There were a few more clips of Shadowy getting into the tunnel before Gar pressed another button on his remote, causing the screen to withdraw. He noted that K.O. seemed to be in some kind of pain. “K.O., are you alright?”

The youngest boy just gave a small nod and a quite sound of affirmation. None really believed him, but they dropped the subject for the time being. They had no reason to believe K.O. and Shadowy were connected. He hadn’t mentioned it after the incident with T.K.O., and he didn’t plan on bringing it up now.

Gar shook his head slightly before continuing on his de-brief. “Rad! Enid!”

Both teens stood at attention once again. “I need you two to continue business as usual, while keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity.”

The teens nodded. “Yes sir!”

Gar nodded. “Good. Now, as for me, I’ll be going on a stakeout tonight!”

K.O.’s eyes widened. “What? No! We need to take that villain down!”

Gar lifted a quizzical brow at the boy’s outburst. “K.O. I know you’re eager to be a hero, but we need to learn what this man is doing in order to stop him from doing it.”

He huffed, crossing his arms as he looked away. Gar was right in a way. They did need more information. K.O. looked up at Gar again. “I’m coming to then.”

The man shook his head. “No, K.O., this could be dangerous, and I- “

Gar stumbled on his words when he saw the glare that K.O. leveled at him. Gar could have sworn he saw T.K.O. glaring at him instead. He hoped his hands weren’t shaking to obviously. He cleared his throat. “I uh, can’t let children come on dangerous missions without a parent’s permission.”

K.O. was about to fuss, when he spotted his mom step into the Bodega at the perfect time. He waved to her. “Mommy! Can I go on a Stakeout with Mr. Gar? Pleasepleasepleaseplease!”

Gar spun around to see Carol smiling at her boy. Well, he had lost this argument. No one, especially his mother, could resist K.O.’s charm when he did that. It was hard enough for himself to resist, and he still often caved.

Later that night, Gar found himself up on the roof of the Plaza, laying on his stomach as he watched the trench through binoculars. He wasn’t alone as he had originally planned this mission, as K.O. was sprawled out next to him, staring intently at the trench. 

It was quiet for so long, that gar nearly jumped out of his skin when K.O. broke the silence, even if his voice was just above a whisper. “Mr. Gar… what do you know about this guy…?”

Gar had to take a moment to collect his thoughts. “Well, not much if I’m being honest. He’s been coming around for the past while, or at least that’s what the reports say. He may have been showing up before and no one noticed…”

K.O. gave a slight nod. “Right… but we don’t know his name…?”

The Bodega owner shook his head, and K.O. had to keep himself from reaching for Shadowy’s card in his back pocket.

There was another few minutes of silence before it was broken again by K.O.’s small whisper. “Mr. Gar, you are powerful hero…how did you get so strong…? Was it because of P.O.I.N.T.?”

That got Gar to need to stifle a shocked noise, sitting up while making sure he kept out of the view of the alleyway. K.O. didn’t look back at him though as Gar spoke. “Kid, if you want advice… Stop trying to be a strong hero… No matter how hard you try, you’ll just screw it up in the end…”

In the darkness, neither noticed the blackness crawl further up K.O.’s arms. 

The boy knew that Gar was right. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried or what he did, he always made a mistake and messed everything up. He’d caused so many problems, and now there was even a villain just waiting to take over his body, held back by nothing more than a measly mental cage.

K.O. was broken from his thoughts as Gar cleared his throat, standing fully as he dusted himself off. “K.O., I’m leaving to use the bathroom. I trust you can keep watch?”

K.O. wasn’t fully paying attention to Gar, still focused on the ravine. He still nodded a response to his boss though, which Gar took as his que to head off.

K.O. continued to watch in silence, but didn’t need to wait much longer at all. He all but leapt out of his skin as he finally caught sight of Shadowy, stepping leisurely towards the cement drain. K.O. launched himself off of the roof, landing with a dust scattering thud in the bottom of the ditch in front of the tunnel. “Sha- wha?” He looked around; Shadowy figure having vanished. 

He was about to begin his search when he heard echoed cackling from the tunnel at his back. He spun around on his heels, glaring into the dark tunnel. No time to think! He leapt into it, running as fast as he was able down the tunnel, taking turns his enhanced sense of smell told him would lead to Shadowy figure. 

He wasn’t able to stop in time as he slammed face first into a door at the end of one of the tunnels. “he let out a growl, frustration causing the darkness to crawl up his arms further, nearly reaching his shoulders now. “Shadowy figure! I know you’re in there, come out!” 

He threw a punch at the door, and then another. It wasn’t budging! He kept punching, flames sparking from his fists as his power spiked. He let out a cry of rage, throwing one last punch. This one managed to break down the door, but K.O.’s momentum carried him into the room beyond. He stumbled, and went head over heels down the stairs, landing with a splash in the shallow water at the bottom. 

He blinked, dully noting that the ankle high water was a pleasant cool, rather than being cold or warm. He looked around, his eyes widening. “W-What…? Why are there so many Glorbs here…?”

He held out his hands, a single Glorb landing gently on his outstretched palms. He closed his eyes, feeling a gentle power pulsing from it. “Warm…”

He smiled slightly, the darkness retreating slightly until he was broken from the calm by an all to familiar cackle. He stood suddenly, the Glorb floating away from him as he spun to stare at Shadowy   
Figure, who stood triumphantly at the top of the stairs, clapping of all things. 

“K.O.! How good to see you again my boy…” Shadowy began to descend the stairs. “How good it is to see my little pet project here~” 

K.O. let out a low growl before pouncing at the villain, aiming a punch at him, but narrowly missing. He used the stairs to launch himself back at Shadowy, but he dodged again at the last moment. K.O. landed in the water again, turning to see Shadowy make it to the bottom of the stairs at last, reaching up and plucking a Glorb from the air near him. 

“Aah, Glorbs… such a wonderful thing they are. And now, thanks to you, my dear but… these ones are all mine!” Shadowy slipped the Glorb into a jar he produced from his cloak, easily dodging another strike from K.O. “You’re to weak boy. But I must commend you in one way at least. Thanks to you, I can take all of these Glorbs~ They are mine, and it’s your fault…~”

The boy let out a cry. “No, they’re not! I won’t let you take them!” Again, he struck, and again he missed. Shadowy began calling out each of his failures by saying “Miss.”

K.O. lost track of the number of punches he’d thrown. He collapsed, falling to his hands and knees in the shallow water as Shadowy paused in his collection of the Glorbs. 

Shadowy grinned, setting his jar down and moving to kneel in front of the boy. “You really are a failure, huh. Ruining Gar’s stakeout, and now that you’ve let me in you can’t even touch me. You’ll never be a hero, K.O., face the facts!”

He watched as K.O. curled his hands into fists, the darkness clawing up his arms and encroaching on his chest. “Yes, let the darkness take you, K.O.! Accept your power…and let it out!”   
Close… so close and he’d see that power unleashed again!

Suddenly, the darkness stopped.

Shadowy was a little surprised, until he heard the boy mutter quietly. “I…Can’t let…you win…I can’t let…you win!” K.O. reacted to fast for Shadowy to register, leaping forward and wrapping his fingers around the villains’ neck, shoving him to the ground as K.O. knelt above him, a knee driving into Shadowy’s chest as K.O. growled in the others face. “I won’t let you get out of here!”

The villain thrashed beneath the boy, trying to swallow air, but finding himself barely able to gasp. It was then he noticed that the darkness had reached the boys chest, and was crawling slowly up his neck now. Even his eyes were flickering a purple hue. He may be able to salvage this. 

He stared into the eyes of the boy above him, and his arms fell to his sides. K.O. seemed almost manic, tightening his grip slightly. 

Suddenly, K.O. was within the mindscape, on his knees and staring down at his hands. 

He didn’t turn as he heard T.K.O. laughing behind him. “Gee, I didn’t even have to take control to watch that maniac die, my ‘better half’ is about to do it for me!”

K.O. flinched slightly at that, his fingers shaking slightly. His Turbonic alter continued his jeers. “I’ve been stuck in here since that guy created me. I have a feeling I’ll be free after this. You won’t be able to live with what you’re about to do.”

The boy lifted his head, glancing over his shoulder to T.K.O., who was sitting calmly with his legs crossed in the cage, leveling a strange look at K.O., that cause the boy to finally stand. He walked slowly, hearing his feet pad against the floor beneath him. He sat down in a similar fashion to T.K.O., his hands resting on his knees.

There were a few beats of silence before K.O. spoke again. “Why are you trying to talk me down from this. Aren’t you a villain?”

That earned an emotionless chuckle from the alter. “Who said that? Sure, I may hate him, but…” T.K.O. shook his head. “This isn’t you, K.O., and you know it. There’s no taking this back if you finish the job.”

K.O. bit his lip, looking down at his hands. T.K.O. was right. “You know, maybe you’re not so bad after all.”

That got a deep blush from the other. “W-What? No! I um, I’m terrible! I’m meaner than you’ll ever know!”

That got K.O. to laugh, grinning a bit at the others flustered state. He closed his eyes, focusing on returning to control of the body. “Thank you, T.K.O., I should come chat with you more often… you might actually be a better person than me…”

Once K.O. vanished from the mindscape, T.K.O. let out a sigh, looking up to the fuzzy screens that were his only window to reality. K.O. was a good kid, there was no reason that a villains’ actions should take that away from him.

When K.O. opened his eyes again, it seemed that no time had passed at all. He smiled softly down at Shadowy figure, who blinked in confusion as he continued trying to take in what little air he could. 

Then, slowly, K.O. released the villains’ neck, pulling back enough to stare down at Shadowy as he coughed, taking in great one great lungsful of air after another. 

Once he could speak again, all be it in a far scratchier voice, he stared in shock at K.O. “W-Why’d you release me…you could have finished me off!”

K.O. shook his head and offered the other a calm smile, the darkness receding from his body and returning to its normal state covering his hands and forearms. “A very brave hero told me that this wasn’t me…And he was right.” He could hear some indignant huffing from T.K.O., but that was all the feedback he got. “But you know what is me, Shadowy?”

“What?”

“This~” And with a leap back to a standing position, pulling Shadowy figure along with him, K.O. landed a solid punch to the villains’ gut, sending him off of the edge of the water filled platform, and down into a deep pool of water bellow with no method of return. “Man, that felt good!” He got a feeling of agreement from his other half, which earned a bubbly laugh from K.O.

The boy glanced over the edge of the water, watching as Shadowy figure pulled himself into a near by pipe, cursing K.O. as he slithered away. K.O. sighed softly, moving through the ankle-deep water to pick up the jar of gathered Glorbs. Once he did so, they began to float gently out of the jar and hovering around him. 

He watched as they floated around his head, and he reached out to gently poke one. He could have sworn he heard a giggle come from it. He reached out to poke it again, but was startled to attention when he heard someone enter the room. It was Mr. Gar; he’d recognize that yelling anywhere!

He watched as Gar ran down the stairs, panting slightly. “K.O.! I saw the footage; I can’t believe you followed that guy in here! This place is off…limits…” Gar looked around the room, seeing everything in place, though the Glorbs were behaving strangely, gravitating towards K.O.

Gar cleared his throat. “Um, where is the villain?”

K.O. shrugged a bit. “You mean Shadowy Figure? I beat him.” He could have almost laughed at his boss’ stunned expression. “Um, Mr. Gar, if you don’t close your mouth, you might swallow a Glorb.”

Gar had so many questions now! “Wait, how did you know his name, and how did you know these are called Glorbs?”

Oops. K.O. looked down at his toes through the water. “Well, he told me while we fought?”

Please believe it please believe it please believe it.

Gar nodded. “Hmm, did he tell you anything else?”

K.O. shook his head. “No sir.”

That seemed to sate his boss’s curiosity, at least for now. He nodded behind him towards the door. “Well, kid, let’s get that door sealed back up and get you back home. It’s late, and if I keep you out much longer, carol’s going to have my head!”

K.O. got a lift home in Mr. Gar’s car, and yawned as he greeted his mom. He was quickly allowed to go to bed, and as he lay there, tucked in and ready for bed, he found himself thinking about his alter form. Maybe it would be good for the two if he spent time with him each night. After all, as long as his body slept, and he allowed his brain to sleep at least a while, it should be fine.

Right?


	6. Boundaries pushed to their limts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Dendy gets an idea for the science fair, she pushes boundaries neither knew would come up. They both almost pay the price

Dendy and K.O. sat in the lunchroom after class, K.O. laying his forehead against the table as he played with the fire proof wrappings Dendy made him to cover the blackness on his arms when at school. He hated the annual science fair, especially since Miss. Quantum could be such a Cob darned hard case on them.

As Dendy watched K.O. mindlessly pick at the wrappings, she realized something. “K.O.! I know just what we can use as our research topic for the science fair!”

K.O. perked up at that, looking at Dendy with sparkling and hopeful eyes. “Really Dendy? Hooray! What’s your idea?”

His face fell the second he heard her plan. “We are going to research this.” She rested a hand on his.

“Um, Dendy, you don’t mean…” He used his free hand to gesture at his bandaged arms, and she nodded excitedly. “But Dendy, I didn’t want anyone in the school to see them! If we use them as a topic then everyone will know!”

But Dendy already had a rebuttal for that. “No, K.O., they will not. You see, while I do suggest we use your affliction as our topic, it is not your arms in particular I wish to focus on.” That earned her a confused head tilt. “I wish to focus on the original cause of your current affliction. You stated that day that you felt a power surge you had never felt before. I feel that perhaps, if we can ascertain just what happened that day, we may be able to heal you, and provide a fascinating topic to wow the fair with!”

K.O. was hesitant on the topic, but seeing the glimmer in Dendy’s eyes had him relent. He sighed, nodding. “Alright Dendy. I’ll help however I can.”

She stood from her seat, running around to the other side before nearly dragging him off of the bench seat and up to his feet. “Come on! We can not waste any time!”

He laughed a bit as he followed Dendy, half listening to T.K.O. warning him that it was a bad idea.

Before he knew it, they were standing outside of Dendy’s locker. “Are you getting ready to go home now?” 

She shook her head, positively giddy now. “No, I am bringing us to my laboratory! Come, K.O.” She opened her locker door, stepping aside to offer the other room. “Step inside.”

K.O. looked into the locker, more than a little surprised to see that it was roomy enough for both to fit inside. He nodded to her, then stepped inside, blushing slightly as she stepped in behind him, shutting the locker door and plunging them into darkness.

The lack of sight did not last long, Dendy touching a button on the side of the locker. He barely had time to yelp as he felt the floor suddenly vanish below his feet, and he found himself suddenly sliding down a tunnel.

It quickly turned from terror to a roller coaster ride for him, eliciting a squeal of delight as he enjoyed the ride. He was, however, more than a little confused when he came out of the tunnel and landed on his feet. He was about to question Dendy on the logic of it, but she held up a hand to pause him. 

“Do not question it, K.O., I made some modifications so I no longer needed to worry about falling on my posterior.” K.O. had to admit, landing on his feet was better than his butt. Dendy cleared her throat to refocus his attention, before spreading her arms out to her sides. “Well, K.O., allow me to formally introduce you to my laboratory! At least the one beneath the school.”

As K.O. finally took in his surroundings, he was in awe. There were shiny doohickeys and screens and all sorts of stuff for science all over the place! He applauded his friend. “Dendy this is amazing! You really are something else!”

She found her face getting hot at the compliment, scratching her cheek as she looked away slightly. 

“Thank you, K.O., I appreciate the praise. Now, shall we get down to business?”

He nodded. “What’s the first thing I need to do?”

She pointed to his chest. “Take off your shirt, I will need to attach some sensors so I may take accurate data.

He blushed deeply, tugging at his tank top’s hem a bit before taking a deep breath. He steeled his nerves, then tugged his shirt up and over his head, setting it on a near by chair so he could grab it again before he left. As he turned back to Dendy, she gasped. He jumped a little, looking down at himself. As soon as he saw what had shocked her, he let out a small gasp of his own.

He had a black area on his chest, spreading out from the center in the pattern of a starburst. He reached a shaky hand up to touch it. How had he never noticed this before…? Was it new? “D-Dendy…? What’s this…?”

She was in front of him in a moment, a finger tracing along the outer edge of the black mark. 

“Fascinating…It does not hurt, correct?”

He shook his head. 

“And you can feel me touching it?”

A deep blush, and a nod.

“Truly fascinating…Come! Let us get you hooked up. I must get some readings on this phenomenon.”

He followed along as she led him to a medical bed farther in. He wasn’t entirely aware of his surroundings as she placed stickers in key places on his chest, sides and arms. She finished by reaching up to remove his headband. That snapped him out of it, and his hands reacted before he could stop himself, catching her wrists in a tighter grip than he intended. 

She winced a bit, letting out a small whimper from the pain. His eyes widened at the sound and he quickly released her. He looked away, refusing to meet her concerned eyes. “J-Just…don’t take off the headband…”

She nodded a little, gently slipping the sensors onto his temples beneath the band, rather than removing it. He still refused to look at her, even as she cleared her throat. “I will turn on the sensors now…” She pulled up a holo-screen, tapping a few buttons on it to activate the monitoring system. She was shocked when she saw a very high-power output already. When she turned to look at K.O. again, she had to cover her mouth to keep from letting out a distressed cry. She watched as the blackness crawled up in arms past the bandage line, and the blackness on his chest expanded.

She returned to her monitors. “K.O., this is incredible! Did you know they did this?” He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, and she noted that the blackness slowly melted back to its prior state, just as his power levels dipped as well. “Fascinating…”

“A-Ah, sorry Dendy… but what’s fascinating?”

She contemplated telling him, then opted the tests would be more conclusive if she held onto this factoid for the time being. “Ah, nothing K.O., just a false reading as the sensors adjusted. My apologize for startling you. Would you like to begin?”

He nodded, jumping down off of the hospital bed and stretching his limbs out. “What’s first?”

Dendy pointed to his arms. “First, I require you to remove the wrappings from your arms.”

He hesitated a moment, then nodded, gently removing the wrappings and setting them on a table near the bed. He flexed his fingers slightly, then looked back towards Dendy. “Alright, now what?”

“First, I wish to test some physical stimuli.”

And so, the tests began in earnest. Dendy having K.O. preform all manner of physically taxing endeavours, and some even bordered on dangerous. By the time she called for a break to analyze her data, K.O. was bone tired. He flopped down on the cold tile floor, sighing happily as he allowed the cool to take away the sore burning in his muscles.

Dendy on the other hand was frustrated. With the current results. While his vitals were strong, and he was certainly more physical capable than most, nothing had spiked that mysterious power from before. She grumbled to herself, running through all the variables she may have missed or forgotten to take into account. 

She let out a loud groan, ruffling her hair in agitation, which caught K.O.’s attention. He sat up quickly, looking at her. “Is something wrong, Dendy?”

She nodded. “Yes, no matter what we try, we can not seem to tap into that power. I know I saw something be- “She looked over at him, then back towards her screen, pulling up data passed the physical and looking into mental state instead. She then looked back towards him. “K.O., I need you to tell me everything about the day you were injured.

He blinked like a deer in headlights. “D-Do I have to…?” When he got a nod in response, he sighed in defeat. “OK…”

As he told her the tale, she noted his emotional responses whenever she would see a shift in the blackness on his arms. By the end of it, she realized that the marks responded to his emotions. They would spread when he felt negative, being uselessness, worthlessness, anger or depression. They would however return to their prior state should he be happy, calm, or other positive emotions. 

Now she had a theory, time to test it.

She stood up, moving over to her large computer and typing in some linens of code, a game screen coming up on the monitor before to long. K.O. tilted his head, standing up and approaching the screen as well, sitting next to her. “What’s this, Dendy?”

“A test.” She typed in a few more commands, and the screen showed a pixelated version of the Bodega, and three icons on the left-hand side. K.O. smiled brightly at the sight. 

“Ooh, is this a videos game about the Bodega?” 

“Of sorts, yes.” She hit another button and the Bodega suddenly became engulfed in pixelated flames. K.O.’s eyes widened, and Dendy noticed an increase in his emotional distress level, as well as watching the blackness spread ever so slightly. 

“D-Dendy what’s going on?!”

She spoke matter-of-factly. She must remain distant to achieve the desired response. “The Bodega is burning, and you are only able to save one of the three. You have thirty seconds to decide.” The blackness spreads more, and faster as well.

“W-Why can’t I save them all?”

“Impossible. 25 seconds.” The blackness reaches his shoulders.

“What if I put out the fire?!”

“That is also impossible. 20 seconds remain.” The blackness connects with that of the mark on his chest, spreading quickly down his stomach and up his neck. 

“But I can’t just choose one! Dendy don’t make me do this!”

“15 seconds.” The darkness overtook his cheeks and had vanished into his shorts. His eyes flickered purple and electricity sparked through his hair.

“Dendy, stop! I don’t want to do this, stop!”

“10.” She watched as the blackness overtook him completely, and a warning popped up on her screen. She glanced over to see what it said. Turbonic energy? She hit a button on the screen, pulling up information on Turbonic energy. Her eyes widened as she read, then turned her attention back to K.O.

His eyes were glowing purple now, and he slowly turned his head to face her. “You…”

That wasn’t K.O.’s voice. 

She moved herself away slightly, seeing the screen finish its countdown out of the corner of her eyes as a large red game over screen shows up. K.O.’s red headband suddenly caught fire, snapping apart as it burnt and releasing his hair, allowing it to fall down his back. She noted that spikes had appeared o his normally red, now purple wrist bands and she gulped. K.O. had told her a small amount of what happened at the Plaza the day he learned he had an inner darkness. It would seem it had been unleashed.

T.K.O. opened his eyes, and a deep growl ripped through his throat. He stood from his chair, padding over towards Dendy, who shrunk back into her seat from his intimidating presence alone. He slammed his hands down on either side of her, gripping the arm rests and forcing her to stay exactly where she was.

He glared daggers down at her as she tried to melt into the chair. The glow of his purple eyes casting her in an eerie light. “Why…”

She was caught slightly off guard by that. “W-What? Why what? K.O. I don’t- “

He screamed in her face. “I’m T.K.O.! And I’ll show you the same hell you put him through!” 

Her eyes widened and she stared at the other. T.K.O.? So, his inner darkness had a name of its own? Her thoughts were cut short as he suddenly grabbed by the collar of her wet suit and hauled into the air. She expected it to have just been a jump, for him to land back on the floor. That didn’t happen. Instead they were floating in mid air by his power. 

She grabbed at his wrists in a desperate attempt to pry his fingers loose. “Let me go! K.O. let me- “

“K.O. isn’t here right now. You terrified him so much you broke me out. Now I get to play with someone just as demented as me~” He tossed her into the air, causing her to let out a distressed scream as she flipped, and he grabbed her roughly by the ankles, dangling her there like that. “Are you scared yet, science baby? Huh? Are ya?!”

She struggled against T.K.O.’s grip, feeling liquid trickling up her legs. His nails must be sharper in this form, as she could feel sharp points digging into her ankles and biting into her flesh, causing her to bleed. “W-Why are you doing this to me?!”

T.K.O. let out a maniacal laugh, swinging her around by her ankles. “Because, I want to see how you react! I want to push you to your limits as see you BROKEN!” He released her ankles suddenly, sending her plummeting towards the hard, unforgiving tile below. 

She let out a shriek, bringing her arms over her head in a desperate attempt to protect herself. As she waited for painful contact, she instead felt herself jerk to a stop again in mid air. As she opened her eyes, she came to realize that T.K.O. had grabbed her by the back of her wet suit, and was dangling her barely a foot off of the tile. 

“I- I don’t understand! K.O. would never do this to his friend! Torture them like this just to see them break! I- I…” Her eyes widened as realization hit her like a ton of bricks. “Like…I’ve been doing to him…”

T.K.O. made no move to release her, but he didn’t say anything either. “I have…not been a good friend…I hurt you… I assume I hurt both of you, and not just him…” That got him to drop her rather unceremoniously. She squeaked as she hit the floor, turning onto her back to look up at the floating T.K.O., who was looking away with a light dusting of pink on his black cheeks.

“L-Look, it’s not like I care either way. I just got kicked out here cause of all the stuff you were doing…” 

She smiled slightly up at him. “So, the T, what does it stand for…?”

He hesitated for a moment before he lowered himself to the floor in front of her. He muttered just loud enough for her to hear. “…Turbo.”

She perked up at that, pulling her screen up again and re-reading the entry on Turbonic energy she had seen before. “While I was running my test, err, I mean, earlier, before you emerged… My computers alerted me to the power you were giving off. It was called ‘Turbonic energy’. Apparently, it is a type of energy usually extracted from Glorbs, but no one has ever been able to harness it naturally… until you two.”

The boys’ eyes widened at this, and she finally realized they were no longer a bright glowing purple, but were just a normal pair of eyes, albeit still with purple irises. “Glorbs! They like K.O., when we had a bunch of them near us, they all started to float closer…”

She nodded, tapping a few things on her keyboard. “They gravitate to you? Fascinating…” She glanced over just in time to see T.K.O.’s eyes flickering from purple to brown and back again. His eyelids drifted down slightly, and she realized he was close to falling unconscious. Nodded to herself, moving to take his hand. He recoiled though and gave her a soft hissing sound. She pulled back a bit. “I was just going to bring you somewhere comfortable to lay down, that is all. Do not worry, I have learnt my lesson… I feel terrible about putting you both through such a terrible experience…”

He wobbled slightly on his feet, then begrudgingly relented, allowing her to gently guide him by the hand to a bean bag chair big enough to serve as a bed. As soon as he laid his head down, she couldn’t help but giggle as he was immediately snoring. She watched as the black coloration retreated from his features, returning to its usual locations and sizes. 

She took a second to note it in his file before moving to a nearby closet, pulling out a soft blanket and gently tucking in her friend. At least, she hoped he still considered her a friend after what she had done to him. She bit her lip, and sat in a nearby chair to organize the data she had collected.

It was simple now to determine that the black markings on K.O. were not burns or wounds. She had to think of something to categorize it as…It was then that she realized she had the perfect name for this.

She entered it into the file, and realized just how fitting it sounded.

Turbonic corruption.

She would find a way to help K.O., and if she was able to, T.K.O. as well, provided he wasn’t the source of the problem to begin with.


	7. Control is a lovely illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an encounter that leaves the K.O. boys lost and confused, they are thrust into a battle they are far from ready for. A deal is made that will change their lives, but will it be enough to get them home safe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot more...rough. I warn you ahead of time, strangulation and torture lurk within this chapter. You have been warned! I have been sticking with the show canon for the most part to stabilize the world of this AU, but from here i'm going off the rails! Have fun, my brave readers!

It was a cold morning, a fresh layer of wet snow had fallen through the night, blanketing the world in pristine white by morning. K.O. wasn’t aware of the snow as of yet, as he was in meditation, taking a rather literal look in on his internal self. 

He opened his eyes, finding himself sitting in front of the cage that held T.K.O. in check. K.O. smiled at his alter, receiving a half-hearted grunt as his usual sign of affection. “Hey, T.K.O., another day with Dendy to try and figure the corruption thing out. Still no idea about how you knew about Turbo energy?”

A half shrug was his only reply. K.O. sighed, twiddling his fingers in his lap. “Why don’t you chat with me anymore?”

That earned a growl from his turbo form, and K.O. watched as T.K.O. leveled a soft glare at the boy. “Why should I be chatty? You’re in here annoying me like clockwork every morning and every night. Only reason I know the time is because of you, yet I find it more annoying than anything because, while you get to have fun out there, all I get is this cage!”

K.O. bit his lip a little, wriggling in place. “T.K.O. you know I can’t let you out. You’re way to aggressive! If I let you out, you’ll hurt my friends again…”

T.K.O. didn’t respond, choosing instead to turn away from his better half. K.O. saw that as his que to leave, sighing as he let his eyes slid shut. When next he opened them, he was laying on his back, tucked into bed. He sighed in frustration, gripping the edge of the blanket and yanking it up over his face.

Why had T.K.O. been acting like this recently? They seemed to be doing well, but after the incident where Dendy brought him out, his alter had been more withdrawn and far quieter, hardly even interrupting his daily life. He missed that little extra input sometimes. He still got the occasional emotional feedback, but even that was usually just anger and frustration now.

He yanked the covers off of himself, and swung himself out of bed, stretching his arms up high as he heard a few pops in his back. He did a few more short stretch moves before he approached the mirror behind his door. He tugged off his tank top, looking over the starburst of black on his chest. He traced it with his finger, wincing slightly as a small spark of purple jumped from his chest to his finger. It didn’t hurt, just surprised him.

He hummed in thought, bringing his hands up and forming a triangle with his fingers. He pulled his hands apart until his fingers were only an inch apart, and marvelled as he watched purple sparks arc between his fingertips. That was new. He even got a feeling of interest from T.K.O., which spurred on his urge to experiment further. He brought his hands a little closer to the black area on his chest, opening his hands a little further.

He watched as the electricity began to focus between his palms, forming a small, sparking orb. His eyes widened, practically sparkling as he watched the orb. He felt a ting of worry from his alter and an urge to look at the mirror. 

When he did, he leapt back, the electric orb popping as he lost his concentration on it. He stared at his reflection, his hands shaking slightly. Staring back at him was a shadow of himself, in quite the most literal sense of the word. He moved his hands slowly, the shadow mimicking him in every movement, but he refused to believe this was himself.

The only real details he could make out about this shadow in the mirror was a pair of glowing eyes. They seemed sad…scared perhaps. He reached out, about to touch the mirror when he felt a small tug in his mind. T.K.O. was trying to call him away. 

It was then when he realized his movements weren’t his. He began to panic, feeling like a passenger in his own body. Even T.K.O. was freaking out. As soon as his palm rested against the glass, against his shadow forms hand, he realized this was real. And this was so not good.

He watched, as though from a distance, as the shadow from the mirror seemed to start snaking out, watching as shadows coiled up his arm. It felt colder than ice wherever the shadow made contact. His eyes followed the shadows movement, watching as it stepped completely out of the mirror. Regardless of what he or his alter did, neither could do anything to move or fight against this.

The shadow grinned at him, and it was bone chilling. The shadows face seemed to split along an unseen seam, and it was less of a mouth, and more of a hole in the world. The shadow traced its hands along the corruption on his arms, moving to the starburst on his chest. The shadows hands then snaked upwards, wrapping around his neck. 

He feared for his life, sure the shadow would strangle him. The shadow leaned in close, and K.O. felt a chill rake along his spine, like icy fingers digging through him. He swallowed thickly, barely registering that the shadow was whispering to him. 

“You will be mine someday, boy…” The shadow released K.O.’s neck, trailing it’s hand back down to his chest and tapping lightly over his heart. “This proves it…” It chuckled, sounding like the rise and fall of nations. “For I am Turbo energy, and you will succumb to my temptation…”

And with a breath of wind, the shadow was gone, leaving a shaking K.O. to stare once more at his own reflection. He could feel T.K.O.’s fear buzzing withing him, mingling with his own. He let out a cry, and before he could stop himself, his fist was planted in his door, the mirror lay shattered at his feet. He slowly withdrew his hand, looking at it and watching the cuts from the mirror drip blood. 

He barely registered when his mom opened the door, freezing in place as she looked at K.O. “K.O., what happened? Are you alright? I heard you yell and the crash…Are you bleeding?!” She moved to step forward, but K.O. moved first, pushing her out of his room. He winced as he stepped on the broken mirror around his feet. “Mommy careful! There’s broken glass!”

She jumped a bit as K.O. pushed her out of the room, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him farther away from the entrance. “What happened to your mirror? K.O. this is why I tell you to wear shoes! You’ve cut your feet up now… Head to the bathroom and wait for me while I clean this up.”

He nodded, numbly making his way to the bathroom, distantly worried about the bloody footprints he left in his wake. Once he made it to the bathroom, he actively avoided the mirror within, sitting instead on the edge of the tub and swinging his legs around, allowing his feet to sit in the tub to make clean up a little easier.

It didn’t take long for Carol to come and check on K.O., kneeling in front of him to look over his injuries. She let out a relieved sigh. “Good, nothing to deep…” She fished the medical kit out of the bathroom drawer, and got to work, looking up at K.O. as she cleaned him up. “So… care to tell me what happened, Peanut?” 

“I had…a nightmare, and I…Um, stumbled into my mirror and knocked it off the door… Sorry mommy…”

She could tell that wasn’t the whole truth, but decided it better not to push. She smiled at him, gently patting his newly bandaged hand. “It’s ok, hon. Nightmares are scary, but remember, they can’t hurt you.”

After what he had just experienced, K.O. wasn’t so sure.

K.O. had a hard time shaking off what happened earlier that morning, and was especially uncomfortable now that he had to actually wear shoes to visit Dendy. He always felt clumsy with something on his feet, stumbling and tripping nearly every five steps. He had gotten so frustrated that by the time he reached the Bodega that he took off his shoes and tossed them into the breakroom. 

Rad and Enid were confused to see him half limping with his feet bandaged. 

The ninja teen approached K.O. while he was lazily mopped. “Hey K.O., you alright? You seem kinda out of it. Plus, the limping and the bandages is a little worrying.”

The boy shrugged, looking up at Enid with a small smile. “Just an accident with my mirror this morning. I stepped in the broken glass by accident.”

She nodded a little bit. “Shouldn’t you be wearing shoes then? I saw you come in with them.”

He blushed, wringing the handle of the mop. “I uh, I’m not good with shoes on.”

Enid tilted her head. “What’s that mean? Actually, I never see you wearing shoes…”

K.O. fidgeted, mumbling under his breath. When she asked him to repeat, he said it a little louder. “I’m really clumsy when I’m wearing shoes…”

She snickered a bit. “It can’t be THAT bad. Why not put them on so you don’t mess up the bandages.” He was about to complain when she held up a hand. “No way, K.O., I’m not letting you get out of it. It’s safer to wear shoes when your feet are hurt. Now go on, go get your shoes.”

He grumbled as he made his way to the backroom, and Enid waited for him to return. When he did, she was surprised to see him wobbling slightly, barely able to keep from giggling as she ran to help him up after tripping on nothing. “Wow, you were NOT kidding about the shoes thing.”

K.O. whined. “Do I really have to wear these all day? Isn’t there something else I can do? I’m sure my feet aren’t that bad. Maybe I can just ditch the footwear? Please?”

She glanced at his feet, then sighed. “Alright, alright. You come with me to the back and I’ll check your feet. If I think they’re good then I’ll let you walk around how you usually do.”

He cheered, standing and running to the back room to the best of his ability. She followed behind, stepping through the doors to see him already kicking off his shoes as he sat on the couch, kicking his feet as he awaited her. She sat cross legged in front of him, unwrapping the bandages as she checked the soles of his feet. 

She blinked, utterly surprised. “K.O., I thought you said you got all cut up this morning?” He nodded. “Yeah, a little after I woke up. Why?”

She shook her head in disbelief, gently touching his feet. “Does that hurt at all?”

He shook his head.

“Kid, look at your feet.” He gave her a curious look before he sat his ankle on his knee, using his hands to tilt his foot so he could look at the bottom. His eyes widened slightly. His foot was covered in little black lines, but otherwise his foot was completely fine! He gave them a little pat to make sure it didn’t hurt, and sure enough, no pain. He then unwrapped his previously injured hand, and marveled at the sheer lack of cuts. 

He looked back at Enid, a little frightened. “Um…I guess I’m fine…? I don’t know how though…” He looked back down at his foot, scratching at the black marks. Not even a dent! He froze when T.K.O. began yanking at his consciousness. He barely managed to close his eyes on his own before he was in the mindscape, watching T.K.O. pacing back and forth in the cage. 

Once his alter saw him, T.K.O. stopped, grabbing the bars and looking at K.O. with worry evident in his face, even a hint of fear. “What if this es because of that shadow freak from today.”

K.O.’s eyes widened at the thought, his hands moving up to cradle his neck. “Do you really think…? I thought maybe we were imagining it…”

T.K.O. shook his head, rubbing at his own neck. “No, I felt it as though I was the one in charge. He touched me to, even locked up in here.” T.K.O. bit his lip, scratching at his throat. “I don’t like this…at all. K.O., keep an eye out today, I don’t think we can afford any more stress.”

The boy nodded, scratching at his own neck absently. “Right, I’ll do my b- “He was abruptly pulled back into the body as Enid shook his shoulder, and he realized the Boxmore alarm was blaring. “K.O.! I was going to let you nap a bit more, but we need back up! There’s a new box-bot out there and he’s tearing the plaza apart!” 

He was on his feet in an instant, nodding to Enid before sprinting out to join the fight in the Plaza grounds. He skidded to a halt once he got outside though. He looked around, taking in all the destruction before him. 

Rad was barely hanging on, laying in a hole in the wall created when he was thrown against it. Carol and Mr. Gar were trying to tag team the robot, which appeared to be a baby, before they were blasted out of the sky by bottle rockets. Enid ran past him, leaping into the fray to draw attention away from Dendy, as even she attempted to fight the attacking robot. As he watched Enid get blasted, and Dendy caught in the explosion, he let out a growl, charging at the robot before leaping at it, his fist engulfed with blue flame as he aimed a hit at the robots back. “Keep away from my friends!”

The robot turned at his shout, grinning as he easily flew out of punching range, readying more bottle rockets to aim at K.O. before firing them, laughing as it did so. In the air, K.O. had no method of dodging, instead throwing his hands up in a desperate attempt to mitigate the damage. He let out a pained cry as he was blasted back by the explosion, gritting his teeth against the burns to his arm. When he hit the pavement, he was a little surprised when he felt it cave underneath him, causing a small crater where he landed.

He slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, coughing as he shook the fog from his head. He felt a spark of T.K.O.’s power, and realized that he had somehow given him a little boost to keep the impact from damaging him to much. He offered a feeling of thanks as he pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled slightly, even with his alters help it had still hurt like the dickens. 

He hauled himself out of the hole he was in, moving towards the rest of the group he saw had gathered for an impromptu strategy meet. He knew they didn’t have to much time as the box-bot continued to fire explosives all over the Plaza. 

Carol fell to her knees once she reached the group, a hand gripping her injured leg. Enid helped support Rad as they reached the group as well. Gar even clutched a rather brutal burn on his arm and Dendy had several rips on her outfit, and a broken lens of her goggles. 

He felt his heart lurch as he saw all of his friends and family in pain. He bit his lip near hard enough to break the skin. He needed to help them! But he couldn’t even land a hit on the robot baby… He felt a surprisingly gentle tug on his consciousness. Hie eyes widened a little. “T.K.O., I can let him out to fight…”

That got everyone in the group’s attention, most of all Rad and Carols. His mom grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look into her eyes. “K.O. you can’t! The Plaza won’t last through it!” He felt a pang of hurt at that, weather it was from his mom’s lack of trust in him or T.K.O. disappointment at the denial he couldn’t tell. He glanced over at Rad as he spoke next. “Yeah! Or my bones!”

He did his best to hold back his disappointment, watching as his mom try to lead the group into discussing another plan. He closed his eyes tight, making sure his stance was stable enough that he wouldn’t fall over. 

He opened them again, looking through the bars at T.K.O. The boys stared at each other for a few moments, before he reached his hand out, gripping the cold bars before he gave them a yank, pulling the door open. He stepped aside, allowing T.K.O. to walk past him. The Turbonic form doing a few stretches before glancing back towards the other. “I’ll make quick work of that baby bot.”

“And don’t hurt anyone else.”

T.K.O. looked away again, then vanished. 

The boy’s hair sparked, setting the headband ablaze as it snapped away from his head. He opened his eyes, seeing out of the corner of his eye that the spikes had grown on his wrist bands. Good, full control! His eyes snapped up just as a few stray missiles destroyed the supports for the sign above him. As everyone leapt away, he was about to follow suit, pausing as Carol tried and failed to get to her feet. 

She must be really hurt for that. He rushed for her, scooping her up and using his flight to launch himself into the air, narrowly escaping the falling sign. He looked around, quickly spotting Gar, who was staring at him in shock. He swooped towards him, handing of Carol as he growled out. “Do not EVER let me catch you leaving her behind again!” And he was off like a bullet out a gun, Gar left to cling to Carol as he tried to figure out if that was anger or worry that the boy spoke with. 

T.K.O. flew straight at thee baby bot, cocking his fist back as he let out a yell. “Ay! Baby bot! Eyes on me!” His fist connected with the bot’s face as it turned to face him, launching it all the way back to Boxmore. He wasn’t done yet though! He just got out; he needed more action! He let the purple sparks of energy dance around him as he flew after the bot, landing with a floor cracking speed as he made it to Boxmore.

He laughed, cracking his knuckles as he approached the loopy bot. He wasn’t going to let this thing get up! “Not a chance!” He grabbed the baby bot, throwing it into the air before launching himself at it once again. It reoriented itself, and readied its arms, launching several explosives directly at T.K.O., who used a power punch to set them off before they reached him. 

The two exchanged more blows, neither gaining ground, until T.K.O. realized something that had him take pause. Purple sparks were flying off of it as the bot re-doubles it’s speed and power. He felt K.O.’s fear bleed into him. His hands shook, and he glanced down to see the corruption on his arms start spreading quickly. He had been more connected with K.O. at the time of the Darrell attack that gave him these marks. He hadn’t been sentient, but he remembered the feeling of the power very clearly, as though it had been what gave him the spark of life. 

He tried to shake it off, his throat feeling tight as he lost ground in the fight. He was becoming erratic, having difficulty countering attacks because he couldn’t clear his head. He winced as an explosion went off beside him, knocking him into an adjacent wall as he fell limp. 

T.K.O. gasped sharply as he opened his eyes in the mindscape, K.O. standing over him. ‘T.K.O.! Are you alright…?” 

The Turbonic form smacked K.O.’s hands away, pushing himself into a sitting position. “No! Of course not, I’m fighting the strongest bot yet, and it suddenly has a Turbo spark? I did NOT sign up for that!” He let out a groan, holding his head. “I want to take him out, but I can’t focus!”

K.O. looked down, then an idea came to him. “Maybe you…don’t have to do it alone…? Maybe I can use your power, and take him out myself? Face it, you’re not one for level headedness…”

T.K.O. wanted to take offence to that, but he couldn’t really deny the truth. “And what do I get out of this little arrangement…? Cause as soon as I let you out, I’ll be stuck again in that cob forsaken cage!”

He glanced at it; a brief memory of his time trapped in it when T.K.O. first came out. He looked back at the other and shook his head. “What would you want? In exchange for giving me your power?” 

His darker half crossed his arms, looking down at the space between them. “I don’t know, man. The only thing I know is fighting! I’ve only ever existed as a part of you, the more violent part! I live to fight…it’s what I am!”

With a nod, K.O. shut his eyes, screwing them tight as he concentrated. If this was his mind, he should be able to do whatever he wanted here, right? He thought of the cage, and it disappearing, turning instead into something T.K.O. may like, and would help him harness the others power. When he opened his eyes, there it hung, attached to the ceiling. A punching bag! 

T.K.O.’s eyes were practically sparkling as he reeled back a fist, encasing it in purple power as he threw a strong right hook. He watched as the energy dissipated into the bag, and they both felt it flow into the body. The Turbo boy grinned devilishly, launching into a tirade of power fists aimed at the punching bag. It took a bit, but he finally felt like he got his stress and anger out of the punching bag. He sighed, clinging to it contentedly. “Poifect~…”

K.O. couldn’t help a satisfied smile, holding a hand out. “So, is it a deal? Your power, for your freedom.” 

The alter leapt down from the punching bag, using a hand to comb his hair back out of his face as he approached K.O., reaching out to grasp the others hand. “Deal.” He yanked the other forward, grinning without malice. “No take backs.”

They were both a little surprised to see two bands, one blue and one purple glowing around K.O. and T.K.O.’s respective wrists. They watched with some mild concern as links of each color linked the two bands together before the whole thing vanished once more. Their eyes met once more, and T.K.O. offered a worried, but comforting grin. “Go get em, Tiger.” And with a nod, K.O. vanished from the mind scape.

K.O. sat up suddenly from his crater, shaking his head to clear off the dizziness. He felt stronger than ever, looking over himself as he saw the spikes from T.K.O.’s wrist bands were gone. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his signature red headband as he snapped it onto his head, re-adjusting his hair to it’s normal look. 

He grinned widely, pushing himself out of the indent in the ground before charging at the distracted robot, landing a strong hit on it and sending it reeling away. He laughed, focusing the power into his hand as he watched his right become enveloped in his usual pure blue flame, the left producing a purple. He pulled his arms back, launching a double power fist attack at the loopy robot. 

He refused to let up, but found that the robot didn’t either. In spite of the clear damage to the robot, it kept going, kept fighting, and kept growing more powerful. When next he landed a punch, he let out a yelp as stray bolt of purple hit his shoulder, burning the skin. He grits his teeth, stumbling back from the burn. He didn’t relent for long though, launching into another flurry of attacks. He felt purple sparks begin to ark off of himself as well, He caught sight of the electricity arcing between them, and realized something interesting.

Same as when the Darrell bot attacked him and shocked him, and when this new robot zapped his shoulder, his own bolts were doing damage to the other. He grinned, grabbing hold and clinging to the robot as he started to build up his power. 

It certainly hurt, and he could feel the black corruption burning through his body and covering him in blackness, but he couldn’t think about that right now. He let out a pained cry, or was that the robot? He could hardly tell anymore past the crackle of electricity in his ears. He felt something in his throat tear as he pushed far past his limits, and then, he felt himself flying through the air. 

He barely registered the pain in his back as he collided with a far wall, his vision blurring as he watched the baby robot explode. Finally, it was over…His eyes slid shut, and his world went dark.

When next he opened his eyes, he realized that he was the farthest thing from comfortable. As he tried to squirm into a more comfortable position, he realized something that turned his blood to ice. He was bound by his wrists and ankles to a cold, hard surface. He tried yanking on the restraints and realized there was no give whatsoever. He let out a growl, trying to summon up his power, but finding himself running on empty. 

He panted from the strain, giving up and flopping back against the restraints holding him against the metal table. He closed his eyes, trying to communicate with T.K.O., only to find him unresponsive with him unable to enter the mind space. Ok, more than a good time to panic.

“Is someone there? Help! Help, I’m stuck!” He was met with only the hollow ring of his own voice. He bit his lip, breaking the skin in his stress as he glanced around the dark room. He needed to get out of here, and fast! He tried again to pull himself free of the restraints. 

“Oh, my dear boy, don’t struggle! You can’t escape, especially with your power drained as it is.” The boy froze, his eyes flicking to his side to try and find the source of the voice. He was met with the sight of Dr. Venomous. “I don’t appreciate you having destroyed that Boxman Jr. I upgraded, but now I have such a wonderful test subject~. If I can learn what makes you tick, then I’m sure I can market that strength to anyone I desire.”

K.O. let out a deep growl, wriggling on the table as he tried to attack the man looming over him. “Ah, ah, K.O., play nice~. Or I may just return your aggression…” He stepped out of the boys’ view, and K.O. heard a faint click and a sparking sound before his vision went white, electricity burning through his body as he cried out.

It could have lasted a second, maybe an hour, but when Venomous stopped the current, K.O. slumped in his bonds, breathing heavily as he struggled to remain awake. “Ooh, how interesting! You certainly are stronger than an average hero! I knew that little zap wouldn’t kill you, but I expected it to at least knock you out! How impressive!”

K.O. let out a weak growl, barely above a whimpering grumble. “M-My…friends will come…and y-you’ll pay…” K.O. was cut off as a finger was set against his lips. “Ah-ah, save your strength, K.O., you are going to need it for my tests… And don’t worry, I don’t plan on killing you~”

With that, venomous sauntered out of the room with a cackle, and K.O. heard a door slam behind him. He let his eyes slip closed, barely able to keep himself awake. This had to be a nightmare, right? It had to be…”


	8. And thus the gods intervene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venomous plays with his new toy, until someone far stronger claims the toy for its own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Cob please help me. Someone stop me from writing please. I'm sorry for the decline in quality, I've been tired and yet I feel like I must continue. A warning some pretty heavy things happen, but the plot gets a big shove in this chapter and the last.

It had been an hour since everything had quieted down at Boxmore, and no one had seen K.O. return. They had to do something.

Enid was first to offer. “I’ll go over to Boxmore and break in. He’s gotta be there! For all we know he’s hurt and needs our help!”

Rad nodded, standing and giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I’ll go with you. He’s our little buddy, and with how many times he’s saved us? We need to return the favor.”

“I will accompany you as well.” They were all a little surprised when Dendy spoke up. She pulled up a holo-screen, typing in a command before turning it to the others, a map appearing of Neutral zone with a light blinking on it. “I can track K.O.’s unique energy signature. I do have some unfortunate news though. He is not at Boxmore any longer.”

Carol sprang up, taking a closer look at the screen. “Wait… Gar, isn’t that…”

Gar stood as well, adjusting his glasses as he examined the map. “That’s Dr. Venomous’ lair, isn’t it?” Carol nodded her affirmation.

Dendy looked over to Rad and Enid. “Then that is where we shall go. It is where K.O. is.” 

The adults shook their heads, and Carol spoke up. “You kids can’t go there, he’s not like Boxman, Venomous is very dangerous! He uses poisons and other chemicals to do his dirty work for him… he attacks more than your body…” She shivered. “K.O. is there… my baby boy…” She let out a small sob, Gar gently pulling her into a hug. 

Dendy looked up at the map. “I can not allow him to remain there if he truly is captured. Miss Kincaid, we will save him. He will be returned by dinner.”

Rad nodded, flexing. “You hear the shrimp, Miss K.O.’s mom! We’ll get the kid back!”

Enid nodded as well. “And I’ll make sure these two don’t get into trouble.”

Gar looked down at the sobbing Carol in his arms before letting out a frustrated sigh. “If you aren’t back in an hour, we will be going in after you.”

The three nodded, and were quickly in Rad’s van, driving to the location on the map as they discussed a battle plan. They came up with a new idea and shot it down just as quickly as it was created. As they saw Venomous’ layer looming in the distance, the air in the vehicle became very somber. There was silence for an uncomfortable while before Rad spoke. “Do you think we’ll make it in time…? To save K.O., I mean…”

Dendy nodded. “Yes, so long as I can detect his signature, it means he is alive…” She didn’t sound as confident as she wished…

K.O. cracked open his eyes, blinking away the dryness as best he could. He had lost count of the times Venomous came in, poking and prodding, poking him with needles, and zapping him to see how his body reacted. He looked down through blurry eyes and noted dully that his body was black from his toes up as far as he could see. Even crossing his eyes assured him that his nose had gone black to. He wasn’t sure how he had remained as himself rather than K.O. taking over.

He was pulled from his thoughts as A door out of his view opened again, and he let out a weak growl. “Ah good, you’re awake. And I see you’re still all black from the last thing I injected you with. Fascinating. It’s good to know that you can survive a direct injection of diluted Glorb energy. Most people go into a coma. Now, to try a couple of raw Glorbs!”

K.O.’s eyes opened wide, and he thrashed against his bonds. “N-No, I don’t want to…!” Venomous pulled a table into his view, and saw a jar filled with several Glorbs floating inside. “Now, I could fit you with a Turbo collar like I did Fink, but… I think you can ingest them directly~. Don’t worry boy, you’ve already proven you can handle a large amount of power, and Glorbs feed Turbo energy directly.”

He tried his best to break free again to no avail, Venomous taking endless pleasure in his struggles. The villain pulled a Glorb from the jar, holding it up over the boy’s face. “Now, open wide.” 

K.O. tried to resist, trying to pull his face away from the glowing orb of energy until Venomous gripped his jaw, squeezing until he was forced to open his mouth. He gagged as the Glorb was forced into his mouth, and had no choice but to swallow when Venomous forced his mouth closed once more.

He felt it travel down his throat, and froze when it reached his core. He tried to curl into himself as he felt heat building inside of him, feeling sparks arc off of his hair and fingers. Venomous took some notes before repeating the process. Again, and again.

With each Glorb he was forced to swallow, he felt his power multiply. It burned. It hurt worse each passing moment, as though he had a terrible fever. He panted, shaking in his restraints as he felt as though he was going to burst. Let out a pained cry, his body becoming enveloped in purple flame. 

Venomous pushed himself away from the examination table, watching with a fascinated delight as K.O.’s power levels hit a new high, even spiking above any hero or villain recorded. “Amazing! Truly amazing, you have infinite potential to hold power! With further tests, I may even be able to harness your power output! Bot for now… I believe it is time for you to take a nap again.” 

As venomous approached, something snapped somewhere deep withing K.O., and he went silent. Venomous hardly had time to prepare himself before K.O. broke the restraints in an easy tug. Venomous took a step back as the boy swung his legs off of the table and stood. It was then that the villain had to relent. This was not the boy he had captured.

The boy looked more like a black stain on the fabric of reality right now, his feet lifting off of the floor as he levitated less than a foot off of the cold tile beneath them. When the boy opened his mouth, Venomous felt a cold chill grip his chest. “Aah, how quaint…You’ve damaged the boy’s mind enough to require my intervention.” He flexed his fingers experimentally. “Under normal circumstances, I would destroy you for damaging my toy, but… You may have helped make this a bit more entertaining.” 

“As payment for your services…. I will allow you free, but first…” The figure lifted the jar of Glorbs, digging a hand into the jar and pulling out a Glorb. He gave it a small squeeze, before popping it into his mouth, gulping it down and letting out a sigh. “Aah, I’ve been locked out of this plain for so long, I forgot the taste of these delectable little morsels…~” He leveled a glare at the stunned villain. “Leave.”

Venomous needed no second bidding, scrambling out of there as quickly as his legs would carry him. The shadow figure grinned, letting out a chuckle. “Now… to get out of here.” He held his hands out in front of him, eyes narrowing at the space between them as a small, glowing orb began to come into existence. Each moment that passed allowed the orb to grow larger. Allowed it to build more energy, drawing it out of the boys body. 

He could feel himself loosing his grip. “This should be enough.” And with a swing of an arm, the orb launched into the air, traveling in a straight line forward, blasting its way through any obstacle. Once the orb was released, K.O. collapsed, the strength draining completely from his body.

Dendy, Enid and Rad were in the process of sneaking up to the lair of Dr. Venomous when a blast of purple energy blasted its way through the outside wall. It dissipated a distance away, sending a shockwave through the area that caused the group of would be heroes to brace themselves against the ground.

Once it passed, Rad and Enid glanced at Dendy, who pulled up a screen to analyze the energy wave. Her eyes widened beneath her goggles. “B-But this…it’s impossible…Nothing should be that strong…” She looked to the teens. “That was a power blast from K.O., but…It was easily over 100 times the power output of any hero on record…” 

Enid looked back towards the hole in the wall. “So, basically, if we follow the hole left by that thing, we’ll find K.O.?”

Dendy hesitated a moment, then nodded. “That is a reasonable assumption, yes.”

Enid. “That’s all I need. Stay out here in case I need backup.” And with a run and mighty leap, she made it into the hole in the side of the building. She stuck to the shadows once inside, but made haste. She counted the walls she passed, amazed to see 10 thick walls in a row blasted wide by whatever that energy blast was. She stopped dead in her tracks as she made it to a dark room with medical equipment inside. 

She walked inside slowly, glancing around in the low light. She could hardly see, any lights within must have been knocked out by the blast tearing through the circuitry in the walls. She lifted her foot up, concentrating her energy into it until it became enveloped in an orange flame. She scanned the room quickly using the light from the flame. 

Her heart nearly stopped as she spotted K.O. unconscious on the floor in front of her. She stomped out the flame and ran forward, gently scooping the boy into her arms and cradling him. “N-No, K.O. wake up…. please, please be alive, please…” She pressed her ear to his bare chest, closing her eyes and focusing.

She let out a relieved sob as she heard his heart beat. It was faint, but definitely there. “Oh, thank Cob…” She stood up slowly, carrying K.O. close to her chest as she began to make her way back outside. As she walked, she checked him over, watching as the black covering his body slowly began to ebb, returning to covering only his arm and the center of his chest. 

She made it back to the exterior wall, and held him a little closer as she leapt down. The impact with the ground must have jostled him more than she had intended, as he let out a small whimper, opening his eyes. She was surprised was pained purple eyes met hers. “K.O. a- “

The boy in her arms growled weakly. “T…K…O…” She looked at him, a little nervous upon learning that it was the crazy one out. “Hot…”

That got her more worried, making her quicken her pace to the others. “What do you mean hot? What happened?” 

T.K.O. tried to croak out a reply, but ended up wincing instead. He instead pressed his forehead to Enid’s arm, and relaxed slightly at the cooling sensation. Enid, on the other hand, was shocked to feel how high the boys temperature was. She finally made it back to the others just as T.K.O. began to fall back into sweet unconsciousness.

K.O. woke slowly in a hospital bed, letting out a small whimper as he tried to move his body. He felt so heavy…He could hardly even remember what happened when last he was awake.

He screwed his eyes shut as he did his best to recall. 

A warm hand on his arm caused him to pause, and he slowly opened his eyes to see Dendy looking at him with a relieved, albeit worried expression. “K.O., you are awake at last… How are you feeling? Your temperature and power output have finally returned to normal…”

He tilted his head slightly. “D-D…n…” He brought a hand up to his throat, wincing slightly when he felt bandages there. Dendy frowned slightly. “Do not force yourself to speak. Your throat was burned and torn rather badly, though no one is certain as to why…”

He nodded slightly, pushing himself into a sitting position as he looked at his hands. He slowly flexed his fingers before he looked back to Dendy. If he couldn’t speak, he may be able to type. He lifted his hand, making a motion as though typing. That got the little Kappa girls’ attention, and she pulled up a hollo screen from her hack-pack, a projection of a keyboard appearing beneath it. “Typing, of course! K.O. you are a genius.” 

She turned the screen and keypad to him, and he typed a short message. It was slow due to his sluggish movements, but it was at least a method of communication. Dendy leaned in to read the message, and frowned again. 

‘What happened to me?’

She looked back to him. “K.O., I had hoped you could tell me. We learned you were at doctor Venomous’ lair and- “

His eyes grew wide and he began to shake. It all came back to him, and he let out a quiet sob, curling in on himself. Dendy moved in, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she rocked back and forth with him, muttering encouragement to him. “Shh, K.O., it’s alright…it is ok, I’m here, you are safe, it is alright…”

It took a few minutes before the boy calmed down again, switching from curling into himself to silently crying on Dendy’s shoulder. Once he had calmed himself, he pulled away from her, rubbing at his eyes to clear away the tears. 

She gave him a soft, patient smile. “I will not press you K.O. if you are uncomfortable…”

He looked back at the screen, then shook his head, pulling the keyboard a little closer as he began to type.

Once finished, he offered to let Dendy read, watching as her face shifted from worry to a rage that he never thought he’d see on the young Kappa. She began to pace at his bedside while he watched her, listening to her fume “That snake! I will not let this go un punished! How dare he, has he no principals!”

He shouting drew in the nurses, who informed her that she must remain quiet if she wanted to stay. She huffed, returning to K.O.’s bedside as he smiled softly at her. He typed on the keyboard again, smiling at her as he let her read it.

‘I will be fine by later today.’

Dendy shook her head. “K.O. you suffered a massive spike in power, no one is even sure how you survived! You can not expect me to believe you will be safe to leave this bed within a few hours time!” 

He typed again. ‘I heal fast. And T.K.O. and I can already feel my body healing.’

She stared at the text. “W-wha? But that is… impossible…”

K.O. looked himself over a minute before he settled on trying his throat. It didn’t hurt as much as when he woke or last tried to speak. Maybe he wouldn’t need the keyboard anymore. He coughed a little bit, wincing slightly, but judged himself capable. “I…will be f-fine, Dendy…”

She stared at him in amazement, lost for words. “B-But…how…”

He shrugged a bit. “O-Oh, I don’t…fell like reliving that… please s-show the others… what I typed about… what happened…”

She glanced at the screen, then nodded, saving the file before closing the screen and keyboard. She looked back towards him and smiled a little. “How is this possible, K.O.? You were nearly…gone when we finally retrieved you…This is truly a miracle…”

He let out a weak laugh, and smiled a bit more. He could feel his energy returning, and his throat was feeling better still. Though he was still tired. He let out a yawn, trying his best to stifle it behind his hand. Dendy patted his arm. “I will let you sleep while I inform the others that you have awoken, and fill them in on what happened while you were captured. Do not worry, K.O., you are safe now.”

He smiled, laying back against the soft pillows. “Thanks, Dendy…” His voice was nearly back to normal, only a little scratchy now. He let his eyes drift closed, and within moments he was fast asleep, snoring softly.

Dendy gave his hand a gentle pat on the hand before she left.

Later that same day, just as he had promised, K.O. was healthy enough to leave. The staff of the hospital insisted it was impossible, but sure enough, he was walking and talking like it had never happened, only small black marks left wherever he had been cut. Most of his injuries were sustained on the already black portions of his body, so it was nearly impossible to tell he had gone through such an ordeal to begin with.

He hummed as he waited for his mom to arrive to pick him up, sitting on a chair and swinging his feet back and forth. He felt a light tug at his consciousness and smiled brightly. T.K.O. was awake! He leaned back in the seat, making sure he was comfortable before he closed his eyes, plunging himself into their now shared subconscious. 

When he opened his eyes again, he found T.K.O. standing next to the punching bag K.O. created for him. The boy ran forward, waving cheerily, which seemed to frustrate the Turbonic half a bit. 

T.K.O. groaned. “How are you so cheery? I know you remember what that maniac did to us, so how are you so happy?” 

K.O. stopped, looking down at his feet as he gave a little shrug. “We’re safe now, aren’t we? And I know you can feel it to! We’re stronger than ever now!”

The alter had to admit that he did feel more power coursing through them than before the incident. “Was it those Glorbs he fed us? Did you even know people could eat Glorbs?”

The boy shook his head. “No, but I’d never really heard of Glorbs until not to long ago. Maybe Mr. Gar knows? After all he seemed to know a little bit about them.”

As the two thought it over, K.O. couldn’t help but notice just how empty it was in the mind space with only a punching bag. “Hey, T.K.O…?”

“Mm?”

“How would you like your own house?”

That got T.K.O. to pause, thinking it over before nodding. “Yeah, I kinda would. It’d be nicer than just sitting here and twiddling my thumbs. But how would you get me a house?”

K.O. grinned wide at that. “Same as I gave you that punching bag! My head, my rules!” He closed his eyes tight, forming an image of a two-story house standing in the mind-scape, more than large enough for T.K.O. to live in comfortably. He took himself through every room, making sure to stock it up with everything he could think of, giving him a large tv and game system, bean bag chairs, a fluffy bed, a kitchen area stocked with all sorts of sweets and yummy foods, a workout area with the Punching bag hanging amongst the other equipment. 

It was then he realized he didn’t know how to decorate it beyond that. “Um, T.K.O., I need you to give me ideas for decorations…”

He listened as his alter listed off posters and bands he liked, movies and games to. A few more minutes and he opened his eyes, marveling at the sight of the house exactly as he had pictured it. He grinned cheekily at his alter. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

T.K.O. wasted no time, sprinting for the house. He paused with his hand on the front door. He didn’t turn back towards K.O. when he spoke. “Thanks, I guess…” And with that, he was gone.

K.O. smiled softly, closing his eyes as he returned to his body. When he did so, he let out a yawn and stretched. When he opened his eyes again, he realized he was in the back seat of his mom’s car, her in the front driving. He grinned wide. “Hi mommy!”

She let out a startled cry, nearly swerving off of the road before she got herself back in her lane. She let out a sigh before glancing at him through the mirror. “K.O.! Don’t scare me like that… When I got to the hospital, you were sleeping so peacefully I didn’t want to wake you…”

He nodded. “Sorry about that, mommy, I was talking with T.K.O.!”

That got her to give him a confused look. “Um, are you two on good terms then?”

“Yup!” He smiled cheerily. “He’s the one who helped me beat that robot baby! He ended up having trouble though, so he gave me his power and I took it down! Though, we did kind of pass out after pushing ourselves…and then…”

Carol shook her head. “Dendy filled me in, Peanut… Don’t worry, I wont ever let that man hurt you again…”

He smiled as they pulled into their driveway. “Thanks, mommy…” As he jumped out of the car-tank, he gave a mighty stretch, wriggling his toes before he followed his mom inside. He wasn’t tired at all, which was a good thing since it was still early on in the day. He paused when he realized that his mom was still reaching into the Car-tank, fishing something out of the trunk. “Mommy, do you need help?”

She smiled brightly at him. “No, I’m ok hon, you go on ahead! Why don’t you get comfy on the couch so we can watch a movie together?”

He clapped cheerily, then grabbed the front door-knob. When he opened the door and flicked on the light, he nearly jumped through the roof in surprise.

“WELCOME HOME, K.O.!”

Inside was decked out like a party, and Rad, Enid, Gar, and Dendy were all standing inside under a banner that read ‘welcome back’. He looked akin to a dear in headlights until his mom approached behind him, carrying an armload of gifts as she laughed. “Sorry, hon, I really should have warned you, but what’s a surprise party without the surprise~.”

He looked between her and his friends inside, and smiled, tears springing up at the corners of his eyes. She knelt down, giving him a kiss on the forehead. “We all love you, K.O., we’re here for you. Now go on inside so we can see what’s in these gifts! There from people all through the Plaza, so even we don’t know what in them!”

He nodded, dashing inside. “I’m home!”


	9. Sometimes help comes from the most unlikely of places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Words can hurt, especially when unintended ears catch them.

It had been nearly a year, but Kaio Kinkaid had fallen well into his life as the cleaner at the Bodega. He always tackled his job with cheer and had gotten used to his arms being black from just above the elbows down to his fingertips. No one at work ever questioned him on it, especially since most of the Bodega at this point had either been there that day to see what happened or had heard it through the grapevine or social media. 

And when it came to school, he always wore the special wrappings Dendy had made him. The other students and staff figured it was part of his new hero look. He figured it was best not to correct them.

Even K.O.’s video channel had no videos of him prior to the first day at the Bodega, so only Carol and his close friends ever seemed to really be affected by K.O.’s change in appearance. 

That changed one night though, when he was waiting for his mom to come in and give him his usual kiss goodnight. He was already tucked in, watching the digital clock on his nightstand flick from 7:59 to 8:00. He smiled brightly and stared at his door.

8:10 came and went.

8:15 came and went.

8:30 came and went.

It was nearly 9:00 by the time K.O. slid himself out of his bed. He could get in a lot of trouble for not being asleep, but he was more worried about his mom than he was about breaking a rule right now.

He snuck out of his room, his feet making little noise on the hardwood beneath him. He was about to go to his mom’s room when he heard a quiet sound from the living room. He peaked his head around the corner, and his eyes widened when he saw what was there. 

Carol was sitting on the floor, coffee table pushed aside, and she was surrounded by photographs, all of which where of a younger K.O. He felt a pang of guilt. He knew that his mom hated seeing his arms, covered in black corruption from his first villain fight, but he didn’t ever expect to see her like this. 

He bit his lip lightly, his eyes flicking to look at his fingers. He hadn’t retained much feeling in them since the incident, and they did sometimes hurt, but he saw them as a reason to get stronger. He looked back over at his mom as he heard her speak. 

“Oh K.O. …. I’m sorry…. I’m so sorry, my beautiful baby boy… You… You got hurt because of me… because I wasn’t strong enough…”

Those words buzzed in his head. Not strong enough? It wasn’t his mom who was weak, it was—

“You’ve changed so much…you aren’t my sweet baby boy anymore…

His eyes widened, and he released his grip on the wall, not noticing the prints left behind, burnt into the wood. His mom… blamed herself? She doesn’t want to see him. His shoulders shook, and he did his best to hold in a sob as he quietly returned to his room.

He thought it over, eyes dancing between his warm bed, and the window nearby. He glanced behind himself at his closet, seeing it filled with long sleeved shirts. 

He made up his mind. He grabbed some warm clothes, and packed some more into his favorite backpack, a Chip Damage themed one, and a few more amenities. He made his way to the window, and unlocked it, sliding it up and bracing himself against a cold breeze.

He thought it over a moment more, before stepping up onto his dresser, and then hopping out of his window. Once his feet hit the grass, a shiver ran up his spine. He was a runaway now. He slid the window shut again and turned away from his home.

No, not his home anymore. He made his way into the forest, hugging his arms as he stepped into the darkness, allowing it to swallow him.

One week.

It had been an entire week since anyone had seen K.O. 

And everyone was miserable for it.

There had been many search parties, every singe hero that K.O. had ever touched the lives of in some way contributed to the search. That means everyone. Lakewood Plaza Turbo was all but closed, Gar spending his time organizing searches and co-ordinating efforts, with Rad and Enid taking turns leading parties all over the neutral zone in search of their small and lovable friend.

This even got the attention of Boxmore and his bots. Darrell watched out of his bedroom window, seeing the Lakewood Plaza patrons preparing another search party. He squinted a bit to try and see who was in the group, but was interrupted when Shannon and Raymond came up behind him, He didn’t even make a fuss that they where in his room.

Shannon was the first to speak. “Are the Lakewood losers up to it again?” At that, the red bot nodded. “Still not back, huh? Even daddy seems to be distracted lately…”

Raymond folded his arms across his chest. “Listen, I think we’ve all been thinking about this, but…. what if WE join the search for the missing boy?”

Both Shannon and Darrell whipped around to stare at the green elder robot but didn’t interrupt him. He took that as an invitation to continue. “We are robots, we’re superior to the Lakewood heroes, but… Even though we are villains, that young boy has helped us in the past. I think with our superiority, we could find him easily.”

Shannon grinned, placing her hands on her hips as she grinned. “Hey ya! We could find him and drag him back here, that way we can go back to attacking the Plaza!” Darrell grinned widely and held out his hand. “Alright, you bots! Let’s go find that missing kid!”

As the other two bots brought their hands in for a pile on, they realized something. “The heroes have searched the entire neutral zone… where can we look that they haven’t?”

“Maybe… we could be of some assistance?” It was Ernesto that spoke up, holding his top hat in his hands, with Mikayla and a Jethro on either side of him. The animalistic robot let out a purr, leaping forward and sniffing the air. 

Raymond smiled brightly, hitting his palm with a fist. “Of course! Mikayla, you can sniff the boy out!”

Ernesto stepped forward, nodding. “And I’ve kept track of every area that the heroes have searched so far. They actually missed one spot in particular, but we may have to fight through the heroes if we want to get there…and there is still no promises he’s even there. “

That brought a heavy weight upon all the bots, but it was Jethro that rolled forward, piping up with his usual line of “I am Jethro!”

Darrell smiled a bit at that. “You’re right, Jethro. There’s no way of knowing till we try! Well, bots. Shall we get to it?”

Darrell turned to Ernesto, tilting his head a bit. “So, where is this place they missed?”

The large purple robot scratched the back of his head. “Well… it’s under the plaza.”

That got a shocked expression from all of them. Shannon threw her hands up, shaking her head in disbelief. “Wait wait wait, why would he be under the Plaza?”

Ernesto tapped a button on his arm, and up popped a holo-screen, which seemed to show a diagram of a sewer system. He pointed to a large central area. “Here. There’s a lot of inconsistency when it comes to the plans in the sewer, but I’ve read old reports that there is a ‘source of great power’ there. It’s a large expanse of sewer, but the most reliable entrance that is least likely to be caved in is right under the Plaza.”

Darrell nodded a little. “So, we need to sneak under there, and then what? Split up and try to find him?”

The purple bot shook his head at that. “We’re to large. At least, most of us are. The only ones that can really fit down there are Mikayla and Jethro. So it would be up to them.”

That got the two bots in question to glance at each other, and the larger bots to look at them in shock. It was Raymond’s turn to speak up. “But wait, neither can talk in a way the heroes can understand! How would they get the boy back?”

Ernesto shrugged. “They may have to fight him and drag him back…. That or try to attract a hero down there…”

Shannon shook her head. “No way, they’d get destroyed way to fast! There’s got to be a way to get down there for us!”

“Maybe we can walk up and talk to the heroes?” Darrell offered.

“And what, get destroyed before we got a word in edge-wise? They are on edge, dear brother. They won’t listen to us.” They had to admit that Raymond had a point, but none really wanted to concede to that, so they dissolved into arguments abut the best way to handle it. 

Mikayla glanced at Jethro again, and they shared a small nod. She grabbed Jethro with her teeth, tossing him onto her back as she sprang into action. She bounded out the nearest window, shattering the glass in the process. 

“MIKAYLA! JETHRO!” All the bots yelled at once, running to the broken window to watch as their sister and brother fell through the air, Mikayla landing easily on the grass before bounding her way to the forest across the street. 

Rad stood in front of todays K.O. search party, and all of them looked tired. None as tired as him though. He had bags under his eyes that had bags. He hadn’t slept well, if at all, since K.O. went missing. He let out a mighty yawn before announcing everyone’s rolls and where they would look. 

He blinked a bit, rubbing his eyes and squinting towards the forest as he thought he saw a yellow and blue blur dash between the trees. He must really need sleep. He let out another mighty awn before returning to his task at hand.

Meanwhile, Mikayla and Jethro had made it to the tree line just outside of the Bodega’s back entrance. She scanned the ditch in front of her, and swiftly spotted the tunnel that lead down into the sewer system. 

“I am Jethro!” Mikayla let out an angry hiss at Jethro, telling him to be quiet before nodding slightly. She saw it to, there was a hero on the roof, looking to and fro. It seemed to be an electric based hero, floating slightly above the roof of the building, his lower half obscured, or perhaps made of lightning. She would have to be quick for this. 

She waited, timing it out. Just as the hero turned his back, she made a dash for the ditch, slipping quickly and easily into the cement tunnel. Once she had made it to the first intersection, she crouched down, sniffing the air and the ground beneath her for the scent. She knew it would be a familiar one, as there was only one were-puppy in the whole area.

There! She dashed down a tunnel to her right, scenting the air periodically as she did to ensure she still had him. It was true, none of the hero’s seemed to have been down here in a while, but she could smell a villain. It was something she knew she had smelled before, but it made the electricity in her circuits dance, as though hair she didn’t have was standing on end.

She stopped in front of what used to be a door, crouching low and letting out a growl. This wasn’t supposed to be. She crept forward, Jethro sliding down off her back and moving slightly ahead of her. She moved her tail in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. His eyes scanned the area ahead, and fell upon the boy, curled into a ball, his skin black from head to toe, and the water he sat in charged with purple electricity. It seemed he was the source. 

They whispered to each other for a moment, trying to figure out the best approach, when they saw someone approach. It was Shadowy Figure! Even they recognized him. 

Shadowy stood over K.O., smiling down at him in a way only a true villain to, with both pride and venom. The boy was corrupt in ways he could only have dreamed of, all because he switched the upgrade his lesser half had given the idiot Boxman. Originally, his alter had intended for the electrical upgrade to be just that, a simple shock that grew in power with each consecutive attack.

He had altered the recipe, causing corruption to any hero that sustained major damage. He had intended it to take out the troublesome teens, then go after Silver Spark and El. Bow. No, he had to correct himself, Carol and Mr. Gar. 

He certainly hadn’t expected the boy he had his eyes on so long to get in the way or survive the corruption. It had certainly aided with bringing his anger to the surface. Shadowy figure knelt in the water in front of K.O., watching control of the body flicker between the two distinct personalities. It seemed the two were stuck in deadlock over who wanted control. He could help with that. He reached out a hand, about to touch the shaking boy’s hand when a spark of purple jumped between them. 

He yanked his hand back, shaking off the electricity. After a moment, he realized that the flickering boy had stabilized, and it was on just the personality he wanted to speak with. “Hello, T.K.O. … How are you, my boy?” He leapt back, giving himself just enough room to dodge a swipe from the Turbonic form. 

T.K.O. gave a low, dangerous growl, hunched forward in an animalistic posture. Shadowy Figure narrowed his eyes. That was odd, even now it didn’t seem that either boy was properly in control. Almost as though he was fighting mindlessly. He dodged backwards again, moving away from another swipe, but getting caught by a third. 

His hand moved up, touching the tear in the front of his jacket. Fast, to. He grinned, cackling. “Well, my boy, such power! You know, you should really thank me. If I hadn’t tampered with that Darrell bot, you wouldn’t be so strong! You could be a great solo hero now! Or perhaps… you’d rather be a villain?” He barely dodged another swipe, earning him another scratch on his jacket. 

He growled. “Hey, this jacket was tailored! Watch it!” He caught T.K.O.’s wrist on the next strike, not expecting a swipe with the other hand. He let out a yelp as his wrist was grabbed, a purple electricity burning his skin. He released the boy in an instant, stepping back and clutching his burnt wrist.

It was then he noticed something. His eyes darted around the room, then to the tree standing behind the boy. “The Glorbs… they’re gone…? Have you been absorbing them all this time? Are you insane? No one can handle that much power!”

T.K.O. let out an animalistic roar, shaking the foundation they stood on, and causing waves to form in the water he stood on. Even the ceiling wasn’t immune to the shockwave, chunks coming loose and falling around them. 

“Time to make my leave. I may have gone to far with this little experiment… What a shame, I can’t exactly find another like you two…” And with that, he melted into the shadows, vanishing from the room all together. 

The boy whipped his head back and forth, eyes glowing a sickly purple. He clearly wasn’t done in his rage. He had more power to expend. He froze, sniffing the air before turning slowly to the door. New targets spotted. 

Mikayla’s eyes widened, the electricity jumping through her circuits again as fear rooted her to the spot. She blinked her eyes, taking a picture of the scene before her and quickly sending it to her family, with a message attachment. All it said was. “Boy found. Won’t make it home. Show heroes somehow.”

And thus, combat began.

Ernesto had long since stepped away from the argument with his siblings, knowing better than to get between the most aggressive of all of them. He was tapping away on his holo-screen as he tried to figure out what was the next move. It was then he received the photo from Mikayla and let out a startled cry. 

That got the other three’s attention. They turned to face the purple bot, who was shaking rather badly. They even heard some loose bolts rattling in him. Shannon stepped forward. “What’s wrong, Ernesto?”

He gulped audibly, before turning the screen to his brothers and sister. The image and text earned a gasp from the three as well. Ernesto stood up, the screen flickering away. “We need to go across the street. Based on that picture, if this continues, this entire block will be destroyed.”

The nodded. They had their next move. Weather they would survive it or not was another question.

Enid had decided she couldn’t sit still. She had been sneaking back to the Bodega on her off days to continue the search for K.O. She hadn’t expected to see Rad sitting on the curb, smacking himself awake whenever his eyelids would drop to low. She sighed and shook her head, moving to sit beside him. “Rad, you need to be easier on yourself.”

“Like you’re one to talk. You’re supposed to be resting today.” Rad glared daggers at her, before deflating, loosing all the bite in his voice. “Where could he be… Why did he run away…?”

“I don’t know, kids…” They turned around, seeing Carol and Mr. Gar stepping out of the Bodega. Carol looked like she hadn’t slept or ate in a week, and Gar looked little better. The two adults sat beside Enid and Rad, and hung their heads, Carol barely managed to keep her head up. 

They barely managed to raise their eyes to meet the four bots crossing the street. Enid spoke up. “That’s unusual… if they plan to attack us, they usually come in a box… not crossing the street…”

Rad nodded, then forced himself to stand up. “What do you box bots want now. You’ve been quiet the past week, can’t you just… go away? We’re busy…”

Shannon huffed, crossing her arms and looking away. Was she…blushing? “Shut it, alien boy. That’s why were here. We found him.”

There was a beat of silence, then Carol stood on shaky legs, reaching out to her. “You…K.O. … you found him…?” 

Ernesto nodded, then pulled up the image on his holo-screen. He then blew up the image enough for them all to see. The picture brought Carol to her knees, but Enid and Gar to their feet. 

“I know that place… below the Plaza! Hurry, follow me!” And he was off like a shot from a gun. Enid and Rad barely managed to follow. Carol couldn’t seem to stand. 

Raymond sent his siblings off to follow, then approached, scooping up Carol and carrying her, following the others. She was in shock, the image burnt into her mind. Raymond spoke up, trying to snap her out of it. “Your son needs you, miss. You’re a hero, aren’t you? And so is he. I hate to admit, but he’s saved us before. He’s strong, stronger than any of us I imagine… it’ll take a mother’s love to snap him out of this. Bring him back.”

She stared up at Raymond, barely noticing the sounds of distant fighting growing nearer. Barely noticing the ground shake and bits of the ceiling falling about them as they made their way through the tunnels. Only really snapping out of it upon hearing a cry of pain. 

She jolted upwards in Raymond’s arms, staring down at the scene before them. It took her only a moment to see what was happening, but time felt so slow to her. She saw a two smoking piles of scrap, and three nearly destroyed robots. T.K.O., her son, had Ernesto’s head clutched in his hands, staring down at the scared robot as he tightened his grip. She could vaguely hear Ernesto pleading with him, before suddenly the young boy crushed the head in his hands. 

She pushed herself out of the shocked Raymond’s arms, stumbling down the stairs. “K.O. …”

She watched as her son destroyed Shannon, hearing her cry out before her vice was cut.

“T.K.O. …”

She watched as Darrell was shut down at last, his head crushed bellow T.K.O.’s foot.

“Boys…” 

Rad was laying in a corner of the room, half submerged and not moving.

“Please…”

Enid was caught up in the tree. She was still as well.

“Come back to me…”

Gar was barely standing, speaking with the boy as he dodged hit after hit, but only barely. Gar refused to strike back.

Carol was now right behind the young boy. “Come back to me…” 

By the time T.K.O. turned around, he was scooped up into a tight hug, being crushed to his mother’s chest. 

The boy let out a roar, clawing at Carol’s back and arms to get away. He drew blood.

The second he felt the hot liquid on his hands, he froze. 

He brought his hands up, looking at them behind his mothers back. His eyes slowly shifted down, staring at the blood running down her back, soaking into her shirt. 

He had hurt her….

He hurt her…

He hurt his mommy…

He let out another roar, this one pained. Scared. Like the scream of a child, not the cry of a savage beast.

He began to shake, his fingers clutching at her clothes. His voice came out gravely. “M-Mommy… is   
that… you…? It’s hard to…to think…my head is all…staticky… I feel…sick….” 

She just held him tighter, sobbing into his hair. “It’s ok, it alright my boy… it’s ok…I’ve got you, mommy’s got you baby…” She held him for a moment longer, before she heard the soft sound of his breathing instead of his sobs. He’d fallen asleep. She looked around, her eyes falling upon Gar. “I’ve got him… can you get them, dear…?” She nodded towards Enid and Rad, and he nodded in return. 

“Take him to the hospital, Carol…I’ll bring them…”

She nodded, standing on shaky legs as she carried her son away from the carnage he’d wrought. She wouldn’t let him see this. She wouldn’t let him become anymore broken if she could help it…

T.K.O. let out a low, grumbling growl as he slowly came to. He sat up slowly, or tried to at least, until his entire body protested him. He thumped back down onto the soft bedding, sinking into it a bit ore than before. “I feel like I got hit with a planet…”

“T.K.O.? Are you awake, sweety…?”

He turned his head to the sound of Carol’s voice, trying again to crack his eyes open. “Mommy…? What’re you doin’ here…? Where… is here?”

“It’s the hospital, hon. You’ve been out for…a while now.”

That had him sitting up, though it was a struggle. It was only then that he noticed the IV and monitors attached to him. “How long is a while…?”

“About a week, baby…”

His eyes widened, and he looked down at his hands. “An entire week…” his eyes rose from his hands, and he finally noticed the rest of his room. He blinked dumbly. “What is all this stuff?”

His room was absolutely stuffed to the brim with cards, balloons, trinkets, snacks, food, and plush toys. Things that both he and K.O. would like. 

Think about his better half sent a shiver through his spine, and he looked back down at his hands, realizing they where clutched tightly in the blankets. “Mom, I… I need to talk to you, about that night K.O. ran away…”

That got Carol’s attention, and she stared wide eyed at her son. “You know why he left…?”

T.K.O. nodded. “Of course, I’m literally half of him.” He looked Carol in the eyes. “It’s because he thought you hated us because of this.” He lifted his hands, showing her the black skin. “It’s part of us. You accepted me, even calling me your son, but this? It’s part of both of us. K.O. thought of it as a badge of honour. Now he just seems it as his and your shame, always there to taunt us…”

Carol could hardly breath. It was her fault her son ran away… He lifted her hand slowly, reaching out for him. For his hands. His hands that used to be so soft and gentle and warm, and were now—now… what? She hadn’t even touched her son’s hands since the incident. They just looked so cold now. Unlike her son’s hands. Unlike her son. She shook her head, closing the gap between them and taking her sons hand. It was…warm. Warmer even than she remembered… and soft, soft like her baby boy… She pulled him forward into a tight hug, and T.K.O. was caught off guard. She sobbed into his shoulder. “I’m so sorry… I’m sorry, I was, I was scared, I thought… I don’t know what I thought…! I’m sorry, T.K.O. … I’m so sorry, my boy…” 

He blinked a bit, then let out a forced sigh. He looked down at his arms, then wrapped them around her. He smiled a little bit, resting his head on her shoulder. He let his eyes drift closed, and when he opened them next, he was back in his mind, resting in his bed in his house. It was about time that coward faced things.

K.O. opened his eyes. He felt heavy and tired. He wanted to just go back to sleep, but he had to talk to her… to say sorry… He pulled back from his mom but was instantly crushed into a hug again when she realized he and T.K.O. had switched out. She let out a renewed sob, apologizing between her tears, burying her face into his messy hair.

He hadn’t been expecting that. 

It took an additional 5 minutes before it seemed his mom had calmed enough to release him. He smiled at her, and her heart melted. It was a small, vulnerable smile, but it was his. She smiled back, just as small, just as delicate, as though the smallest thing could break their happiness.

He let out a small giggle, his hands clutching his stomach as he broke into a full belly laugh. “I thought I was the one supposed to apologize, but after all I put you through, you’re saying sorry to me?”

She couldn’t help his contagious laugh. She missed it. She laughed right along with him. “K.O., you never had anything to say sorry for. I feared nothing, that’s clear to me now. I love you, both of you boys.”

K.O. blushed and laughed harder. “T.K.O. is grumbling, he’s embarrassed about that.”

She grinned wide. ‘I’ll be sure to give him a mom cheek pinch when he gets back out!”

In their shared Mindscape, T.K.O. sprung up off his beanbag chair, his entire face red. “I’M NEVER GOING BACK OUT THERE!!”


	10. Tick tock goes the clock, Time forever marching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T.K.O. finds himself bored in the mindspace, and K.O. comes up with an idea to help his alter out. Hijinks ensue, and Boxmore has to start repairs before the end of the day.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Bang!

T.K.O groaned loudly as he smashed yet another clock in the mindscape. K.O. had been asleep for, most likely, a few hours now. He was bored as could be imagined, and the clocks ticking grated on his nerves in ways he just could not put into words. 

He sat up from his bed and swung his legs around to rest on the floor, wiggling his toes as he stared at them. It had been decent lately. Things had been fun even. He got along with Rad and Enid now, even enjoyed their company (Though he’d never admit that to their faces!). It had been a week though since he had agreed to come out and take over the body though. 

He and K.O. had chatted it out, and while K.O. was more than happy to let his dark alter take over every other day, T.K.O. had grown tired of it.

Not per se, being out in the real world. No, he loved that! Craved it even! In the Mindscape, everything felt dulled, like he was wrapped in cotton and experiencing the world through a filter.

In a way, that’s exactly what he was doing. 

He hated it so much! He didn’t want to have to share his time with K.O., he just wanted to exist! As his own person, live life how he chose!

But no, he was just K.O.’s inner darkness, given form. He wasn’t allowed to be his own person. He was just an aspect of K.O. that the aspiring hero didn’t want as a part of him. Deep down, he knew that. It didn’t stop it from hurting though!

He jolted a bit when he felt a drop of water hit his foot and realize he had been crying. He quickly rubbed his eyes dry and cursed himself, getting properly off the bed as he tried to find something to do. He debated taking over the body, but he knew that when the body was tired, it didn’t matter whoever was in control, it wouldn’t budge. 

That idea was discarded completely.

He instead decided to explore his house a little. He had started to keep it a little tidier, though to any onlooker it still looked like a bomb went off in a trash can. He liked it though, and called it an ‘organized chaos’, just like himself.

He passed by a mirror and stopped, turning to look himself over. It was a full-length mirror, showing him his entire self. He was wearing a black shirt, with a white pentagram on it. He ran his hands over it, and sighed. Still didn’t feel like it was real. Even with all his time in the real world, he still couldn’t get over the simplest sense, touch. 

He always marveled at hos soft his hair could be in the real world. While it always looked disheveled and spikey, he was perfectly capable of making it soft and silky. He enjoyed it sometimes, just sitting in his room while K.O. was asleep in the Mindscape, running his fingers through his long hair, admiring the feeling of the loose strands sliding between his fingers.

There was something he hadn’t tried though, and he desperately wanted to. He wanted to go to the beach, for himself. He closed his eyes, remembering the books and movies he’d read and watched where the character would describe the feeling of warm sand squishing between his toes. 

His eyes snapped open when he heard a soft chuckle, and realized that K.O. was awake, and had been probing his imagination. “Hey T.K.O… If you wanted to go to the beach, you could have said so…”

That earned an indignant cry from the Turbo boy, and a bright red blush that put K.O.’s headband to shame. “S-Shut up!”

Another gentle giggle, this time from right behind him, and T.K.O. turned to face his better half. “What are you doing awake you nerd?”

The boy in question rubbed the back of his head and looked away, a small blush dusting his cheeks. “Well, when you started to imagine the beach, it bled into my dreams. I saw you on the beach, wiggling your toes in the sand, and you looked so…well, happy.”

Another huff from the Turbo twin and K.O. laughed again. “Tell ya what, Teeks, how bout we try and go to the beech soon? I’ll give you the whole day!”

That gave T.K.O. pause, and he looked suspiciously at his twin. “…What’s the catch.”

K.O. shook his head, grinning widely. “No catch, just a day for you! I’ll even make a little space in here to keep you from even hearing me!”

That seemed way to good to be true to T.K.O. He hummed a bit, then gave a small, but genuine smile. “You know… I think I’d like that…”

The hyperactive boy was practically glowing now, bounding in place as he started to yammer on and on about how nice it’ll be for the other, and how they’ll have to convince mommy to take them out shopping for a swimsuit for T.K.O. 

“Why can’t I just wear shorts I have, man?” That earned an over the top startled gasp from K.O. “WHAAAAT? No way! You got to have your own bathing suit, dude!” And so, he launched into all the reasons why a new swimsuit was absolutely, positively necessary if they were going to go through with this.

T.K.O. would never admit it, but he did like seeing K.O. go a little crazy, especially when it comes to him. He kind of enjoyed being fussed over, though that he DEFFINITELY would never admit out loud. 

Sometimes, sharing a brain space wasn’t….so bad.

The next day, K.O. could hardly sit still, and while T.K.O. finally caught up on some sleep, he went about planning the ultimate beach trip for his alter ego. There would need to be a lot of food! And all of T.K.O.’s friends! 

Upon thinking that, K.O. paused. He knew that the other boy had been doing better with other people, but who did…. HE considers to be his friends. He may need to ask the other when he got a chance, but that might get him defensive… K.O. decided it might be good to delay the trip one more day, just to try and figure out who T.K.O. would willingly hang out with. He could always push the alter into control, but that may be a bit abrupt. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

Enid approached him, noticing that K.O. had been staring at a puddle forming bellow his mop for a while now, not doing anything else other than sighing and shrugging to himself. 

“Hey kid, Techno for your thoughts?” K.O. spun around at the girl’s voice and tilted his head. “Can you pay people to get their thoughts?”

That got Enid to blink in surprise, then chuckle to herself. “Well I mean, I guess you could, but that’s not what that- wait K.O. where are you going now?”

K.O. had just had a great idea! He was going to BUY his information from T.K.O.!! He had dropped his mop in his haste out the front door. “SorryEnidtellMr.GarI’mgoingonbreak!” And with that, the boy was gone. Sometimes she wondered if the boy had ninja talent with how quickly he always vanished on her.

K.O. made a beeline for the Dojo, bursting through the doors and yelling out cheerily. “MOMMY I NEED YOUR HELP!” 

That got all four residents’ attention, Carol running to K.O. and scooping him up, looking him over worriedly. “What’s wrong peanut? Did you get hurt?” At that, the young boy giggled and shook his head, earning a relieved, and maybe frustrated ever so slightly, sigh from his mother. “Ok then, K.O., what’s on your mind?”

K.O. clapped and grinned wide enough to split his face. “I need you to help me buy T.K.O.’s thoughts!”

Carol stared at her son for a moment before she spoke again. “What?”

The boy poked his fingers together, looking a little sheepish at his mom’s confusion. “Well, today Enid asked me if she could give me a Techno for my thoughts, and I thought, maybe if we can get T.K.O. stuff, he’d tell us what we need to know!”

That… really didn’t diminish his mom’s confusion. “And… what are we trying to know about T.K.O.?”

He clapped his hands. “I’m planning on letting him spend a day at the beach, but I wanna make it perfect! So, I gotta know who all T.K.O.’s friends are so I can invite them!”

That got the other girl’s attention. They sometimes acted like Grandma’s for K.O., so hearing that there would be something akin to doting on one of the boys, they got very, VERY interested. Gertie used her lower two arms to steal the boy from an unsuspecting Carol’s arms, her upper two ruffling his hair and poking his tummy. This earned an indignant and surprised yelp from the blond in question as K.O. giggled. “Oh hon, bring the little spikey dear out, and we’ll get all the info you want out of him!”

The short little Ginger looked positively giddy at the prospect of this. “Yes, yes dear! It’s about time we get to spoil the little nugget~”

Before Carol could argue, or even warn the three elder women, they were gone, her giggling son in tow. “Well…. This will definitely be…interesting?”

T.K.O. let out a mighty yawn, snuggling into the warmth that held him. It was rather comfortable honestly, like a nice warm hug from mommy. Wait, WHAT!? His eyes snapped open to see three barely recognizable faces staring down at him, all with what he could only describe as a mischievous twinkle in their eyes. He starred them down in a half glare. Oh, it was the Dojo hags. Why had they been holding him? And why had K.O. shoved him out in the middle of a nap? He never did that. “What’s going on? Why am I with you guys?” He tried to put as much distain into his voice as he could manage, but it was no good, he was calmer than he’d like to be in the arms holding him like a baby.

Gertie smiled down at T.K.O. before gently setting him down on the ground, only for him to be quickly pulled into a side hug by Ginger, and she began to whisper to the boy conspiratorially. “Listen, sonny, I need a hand, and it’s somethin’ real important!” 

T.K.O. hadn’t been around for Ginger tricking K.O. into stealing for her, but the way she spoke to him on it sent a thrill down his spine. He grinned wickedly and nodded. “Alright, Granny, whatcha got planned?”

She mirrored his grin, then launched into a story of her old days, when she was a great candy thief. By the end of her tale, T.K.O. was utterly riveted, the two much taller ladies ignored as they looked between each other. They were getting dragged into another of Ginger’s antics, and so soon. They definitely couldn’t argue that if anything would get them into T.K.O.’s good graces, it would be an adventure cooked up by the mischievous Ginger. 

They hadn’t been expecting that when the two turned to them and looked up, looking pleased as punch with themselves, Ginger announced proudly. “We’re going to Boxmore!”

T.K.O., Ginger, Gertie, and Gladys were crouched down in a bush outside the back entrance of Boxmore, watching as Darrell bots came in and out or the building, watching them pile boxes into a shipping truck parked near by. 

Ginger glanced towards T.K.O. and was pleased as punch to see he was nearly bouncing in excitement. She noticed even that the black on his arms was receding. Ever since he and K.O. had run away, people close to them had noticed that when calm or happy, the burn marks on his arms would fade, even if the boys themselves never acknowledged it. 

The elderly woman looked back towards the door. “Alright, kiddo, were here to find the Glorbies. They’re supposed to be an old candy from way back in my hay day. I’d set my sights on them time and time again, but I could never manage to get some! Apparently, Boxman has something of an addiction for em. Got his dad to steal all of em up when he was a tyke and destroyed the original factory to boot! All so his son would be the only one to ever have em again!”

T.K.O. gave a small hum of appreciation. “I hate to admit, but he had some style.” His eyes took on a mischievous purple sheen. “Let’s clear him out!”

Ginger cackled as quietly as she could. “Atta boy! Now you’re talkin my language!” She gave him a hearty pat on the back. Gertie and Gladys were a little worried, but figured that with T.K.O.’s power, they would at least make it out in one piece. Unfortunately, when they returned their attention to the two shortest, they realized to late that the two had already made their way inside. 

They ran as quick as they could to try to catch up, only to get shut out. 

Oh darn.

Ginger and T.K.O. had meant to leave the other two behind. They were strong, yes, but also large and loud. With just the two small ones they could make their way through probably the entire factory without being caught. 

And so, their adventure begins!

T.K.O. grabbed a hold of Ginger, using his abilities to hover above everyone’s heads, near to the high ceiling. Once they were at the other end of the room, he looked around. He looked down at Ginger. “Pst… Gin, over there… an air vent…! We should be able to sneak through there easier…” She nodded, and they hovered over, T.K.O. releasing one of her hands so she could take down the grate, pushing it quietly into the vent duct so it would be out of the way. She then pulled herself inside, beckoning the boy to follow. He slid in behind her easily, setting himself down on his hands and knees inside the vent.

He grinned widely, practically vibrating with excitement. He couldn’t believe it! He was in Boxmore’s base, about to steal from the villain himself! He could practically cry out with happiness! But he had to remain focused! He followed behind Ginger as she consulted a map that she had brought with her. She really must have had this planned for a while now. 

As they wound their way through the vents, Ginger whispered back to him. “Pretty exciting, eh T? Though I bet there’s someone you’d rather be doing this mission with than poor old me.” That caught the boy off guard. “Wha? No way, you’re like, the coolest old lady ever…! You and Gertie and Gladys are all awesome… But I do sorta wish I coulda invited Rad and Enid. They’re cool to! They stopped treating me like some fake K.O. … and that was cool of them. Even Science baby has been a bit fun to hang with… she helps me figure a lot out about what I can do. She may have even figured out something to help K.O. and I with the black arm thing.” He wasn’t entirely sure why he had said that, but he felt… comfortable. Like he could say anything to her. Is that what it was like having a grandma?

She nodded a bit. “I understand, T.K.O. You know, I used to be a lot like you in my glory days. I loved mischief! But you know what?” She glanced back over her shoulder, a knowing smile on her face. “My friends made sure I was always safe along my journey. I’m glad you have friends to. And I know K.O. is your friend to…”

That got a bright blush out of him, but he didn’t argue. 

She smiled a bit wider. “Even a hero can have a little fun… as long as you remember who you want to protect, you’ll never travel down the wrong path.”

She continued crawling through the vent, smiling to herself as T.K.O. lagged a little. She had really given him something to think about, and she knew it. She had meant to as well. A few more turns and minutes of crawling, and they came to a vent that had a faint glow coming from it. Ginger stopped on the other side of it, turning herself around and motioning for T.K.O. to look through it. 

Below them appeared to be a rather…garish looking bedroom. T.K.O. could barely keep himself from giggling as he saw the posters all over the walls. He hadn’t even known that villains had boy bands! Even Ginger had a hard time holding her mirth back as she quietly unscrewed the grate between them. Once the grate was removed, T.K.O. hung himself upside down through it to get a better look into the room. He nearly fell right to the floor laughing when he saw the ceiling of what was clearly lord Boxman’s room. Right above his bed was what he could only describe as a pinup of Doctor Venomous above his bed. He fell through the air, barely catching himself with his floating abilities as he took the whole room in.

There were plush toys littered on the bed, and even some fallen hap hazard onto the floor. There were even more boyband and even some anime posters he hadn’t noticed before, and the more he looked, the more Venomous items he saw. It made his stomach crawl a little for reasons he couldn’t really explain. He tried to shake it off, holding his arms out for Ginger to jump down into. He caught her easily, and she smirked up at him. “Nice catch, T.” 

He couldn’t help a grin of his own at the honest praise, setting her gently onto her feet as he landed beside her. “So, where is this candy, Gin?”

She glanced around the room before looking at her map. “It should be hidden under his bed, if my sources are correct…” She headed for the pink, frilly and stuffed toy littered bed, kneeling next to it to peer beneath. She grinned, pulling on a lever beneath it, and standing back as the bed slid silently out of their way, revealing a trap door. “Bingo~”

He was bouncing on the balls of his feet now, the black faded from his hands nearly completely now, reduced to little more than grey electric burns. She was impressed, no one had seen him in this good a state for a while. He looked over to her, giving her an honest smile. “Age before beauty.” 

She punched him on the arm, giggling as she made her way down the trap door stairs. “You cheeky whippersnapper! I aught give you a piece of my mi-mph!”

T.K.O.’s eyes widened when Ginger suddenly seemed to have been yanked down the stairs. The black returned to his arms, spreading up to his shoulders and he flew quickly down the stairs, catching sight of her being dragged around a corner before she vanished again. 

He winced slightly, feeling the burns on his neck, and a strange fog entering his mind. He tried to shake it off. He needed to be focused! 

As he finally exited the stairwell and entered a large room, he saw Ginger held up by robotic arms. He let out a near feral growl, his eyes glowing a bright purple. “Ginger! Can you hear me!” There was no response.

He felt the blackness creep up to his ears now, staining his cheeks as his tears began to fall. “Ginger! Don’t worry, I’ll save you!” He punched the ground beneath him, his fist exploding into a purple flame, electricity dancing within, before pouncing forward, punching the arm near the claw holding up Ginger. It shattered on impact, and Ginger hung loosely in the one remaining claw. He made quick work of the other, whipping around to catch Ginger gently, lowering her and himself to the floor. He sunk himself to his knees, clinging to her as gently as he could. “Ginger… Ginger wake up…please…?” He sniffled, his tears falling onto her cheek. “Please…”

He pressed his cheek into her chest, sobbing lightly. He couldn’t help her, he couldn’t… He was cut off. He sniffled a bit, listening and feeling.

A heartbeat! She was alive! He gave a small, happy sob, hugging her a little closer. She’d be ok… 

He held her for a while, just sitting there and holding her close, gently petting her hair. He knew it calmed him down, people playing with his hair. He’d never admit it though, not aloud at least. He let his eyes wander the room, and saw a large glass container, filled with what looked like individually wrapped candies. Those must be the Glorbies! He gently rested Ginger against the wall, standing up and making his way over to the container. 

He could shatter the glass easily, but that might put Ginger in danger, so he’d have to take this easy. He scanned the machines that seemed to be attached to the glass container, then spotted a red button that read ‘deposit’. Huh. That was probably it. He pressed the button, and sure enough, after a quiet mechanical whirring sound, a candy was deposited in a tray in front of him. He smirked, picking it up. 

He scanned over the wrapper and realized that it exuded a strong power all its own, like Glorbs, but somehow more concentrated. He flipped it over a few more times, then spotted a quote on it. 

“A candy to give you a boost when sucked, but beware those of many strengths, for to break the candy is to break a bond never forged, chains bound to two once one.”

He blinked. That made about as much sense as anything else that had to do with power in this world. He returned to Ginger’s side, looking at the candy in his hand. He closed his eyes, thinking it over. He’d wait for Ginger to wake up before they decided if they were to take more or not.

It took ten minutes before Ginger finally stirred, groaning softly as she looked around. “T? What happened?” He smiled at her, then filled her in, tossing her the candy as he reached the end of his story. She looked at the quote on the wrapper, needing to adjust her glasses to read it a little bit better. She smiled a little, then tossed it back to him. “T, the reason I thought this would be a good heist is because this kind of candy is special in so many ways, much like you and K.O.” She stood up, dusting herself off. “Keep that one, T, I think you might want to save it for a very special time. It could make things fun~”

He let out a half-hearted groan, standing as well. Cryptic as most adults tended to be. He found himself smiling none the less. He pocketed the candy for later. Maybe he’d save it for his beach day? “Well, shall we?” He held out his hand, and she took it, grinning wickedly. “While I don’t think we can grab them all… who’s to say we should leave Boxy with any?”

He grinned from ear to ear, raising his free hand as electricity danced off his fingers. “I like what you’re laying down, Gin~” He pulled her close, using one arm to scoop her up as he slammed his other hand on the ground, creating a shockwave that began to short out the machines around them. They all began to spark, some catching fire as he flew up through the trapdoor, out of Boxman’s room, and broke through the nearest window, making it out and safely to Gertie and Gladys. As he landed, setting down Ginger, he grinned at the others. “We should go. Now.”

They beat a hasty retreat, making it back to the Bodega side before a large portion of Boxmore exploded. They glanced at each other, Ginger and T.K.O. bursting into laughter as Gertie and Gladys tried to lecture them about going to far, though the lecture was half hearted at best, with a few back pats for a job well done thrown in. 

As they made their way back, T.K.O. couldn’t help a small yawn and a stretch. He wasn’t used to expending so much energy in a day. As they returned to the Dojo, they were met by a worried, and yet somehow unconfused Carol. She glanced at the burning factory behind them, then at Ginger. She gave a thumbs up, and Carol sighed deeply. 

Carol spotted the sleepy T.K.O. and smiled sweetly, kneeling and offering her arms to him. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her neck and snuggling into it, yawning into her shoulder as he already started to snore. 

His mom looked about ready to cry from sheer happiness and cuteness. She bid her goodbyes to her students, and gently loaded T.K.O. into the passenger seat, buckling him in as she went around to the other side, slipping into the driver’s side and doing her best to remain quiet. She winced as her tank-car rumbled to life, and she glanced over to see T.K.O. half awake again. She smiled sweetly at him. “Sorry for waking you, hon. How was your day?”

He gave a wicked, but not malicious grin. “I’m sure you know, just look at Box-butt’s place, and you’ll have the answer to that~”

She laughed, pulling out of her parking spot and starting the drive home. “I’m glad you had fun, dear.”

He nodded, resting his head against the door as he let out a mighty yawn. “Sorry m’ tired… I used a lot of energy today…”

She nodded a bit. “I don’t mind, I’ll give you two cookies tonight, and let you go to bed early.” She expected him to get pumped, but he was already back asleep, snoring softly. He looked so peaceful in his sleep… She pulled into their driveway, shutting off the tank and getting him back inside, managing to tuck him in without any more wake ups. He really must have been tired… She gave him a gentle kiss on his head, making sure he was as snug as a bug in a rug. 

K.O. woke up the next morning, giving a mighty stretch as he heard a few of the joints in his back pop. He really had to convince T.K.O. to stand a little straighter. He smiled brightly. He had to see if the ladies at the Dojo got any info while T.K.O. was still asleep! He bolted out of bed, feeling better rested than he had in a long while. He skidded to a halt in the kitchen, seeing his mommy already at the stove, preparing them a nice pancake breakfast. 

“Good morning mommy!”

She turned and smiled at him, kneeling to ruffle his hair. “Good morning, Peanut. How did you sleep?” 

He bounced a bit, nuzzling into her hand. “I slept great! So, can you and the Dojo aunties help me plan T.K.O.’s beach day? Pleeeeeeease!”

Carol laughed at that. “Sure, hon. After breakfast though. Apparently, Ginger has quite the story to tell.”

She couldn’t WAIT to hear that story either.


	11. A single grain of sand on the beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today was the day! T.K.O.'s day on the town! He comes to learn more of himself, and enjoys his time with people he trusts.

Today was the day!

K.O. had kept the exact day a secret from T.K.O., opting instead for making the day as much a surprise as he could. He had managed to get a good idea on who to invite to the beach thanks to Ginger, who filled him and his mom in on her and T.K.O.’s exploits at Boxmore that day.

After getting the information he needed, he made a list of people to invite, which went as follows.

-Enid  
-Rad  
-Mommy  
-Mr. Gar  
-Ginger  
-Gertie  
-Gladys  
-Dendy

It wasn’t as long a list as he would have made for himself, but it was a lot longer than he expected for T.K.O., to say the least! He hopped about his room happily, having sent out a custom video message to each person on the list by way of invite to the beach that afternoon. But first he had to get himself, or rather T.K.O., ready for a day at the beach! 

He turned and reached for the door handle of his room, pausing a moment when he saw the empty space a full body mirror had once hung. He stared at the space for a moment longer before shaking his head of negative thoughts. He wouldn’t allow those kinds of things to be buzzing around them today! Today was going to be great!

He yanked his door open with perhaps a little more energy than was strictly necessary, as it slammed into the wall from the force. The bang was nothing to K.O.’s voice though. “MOMMY TODAY’S THE DAY!”

He heard a yelp and a clatter of dishes. The kitchen! He padded quickly through the house and made it to the kitchen, stopping in the door way when he saw his mom clutching her chest as she bent to pick up a dropped plate that miraculously hadn’t shattered upon hitting the floor. “K.O. indoor voice! You nearly sent me to Cob with that shout!”

K.O. bounced on the balls of his heels, clearly not fazed by Carol’s light reprimanding. “But moooooommyyyyyy todays T.K.O.’s big day! And we need to get him an outfit and swimsuit and stuff he wants to eat and and—"

Carol laughed softly, setting the plate on the counter and holding her hand up to pause her son. “Alright, alright, I get it K.O., I get it. Is he awake enough to come out?”

He let out a contemplative hum, closing his eyes for a moment before shaking his head. “Nope, not yet. I’ll wake him up!”

He ran off to the living room, scrambling up into a comfortable position on the couch as he prepared to slip into a meditative state. He found that doing it like this at least kept his body from collapsing and flopping all over the place while he talked with his alter. He nestled himself into a little pillow pile he made, crossing his legs and resting his hands over his chest. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the pillows.

When next he opened his eyes, he was standing outside of T.K.O.’s house. He grinned widely, giggling as he ran up to the door, not even bothering to knock as he practically busted the door down. “T.K.O. IT’S THE DAY COME ON YOU LAZY BONES WAKE UP!”

T.K.O. let out a shriek as he nearly flew out of bed, barely catching himself on his feet without stumbling over. He looked around in a half-awake panic until his eyes stopped on K.O. There was another moment before his look of shock turned into one of aggravated loathing. “What are you on about, what’s so important you think it smart to wake me up? Isn’t it a Saturday? Not like you’d have needed me awake for school anyway.”

The Turbonic form was actually very good at school, always giving K.O. a little help when he got called on to answer a question, or answering a question on a worksheet he couldn’t understand. K.O. assumed it was because of how much free time he had stuck in the mind space with nothing better to do.

K.O. giggled, clapping his hands together. “Have fun out there, Teeks!” And with that, T.K.O.’s eyes suddenly snapped open in their shared body, and he nearly tumbled out of the pillow nest K.O. had built around them. “W-What the Cob?!” He attempted to reach into his mind and drag K.O. out to explain, but the boy seemed to have already sealed the mind space off from him. He groaned loudly, flopping back in the pillows. “What was he on about…?”

He glanced over when he heard footsteps enter the room, and spotted his mom standing in the doorway, smiling sweetly. “Hey, Teeks, glad to see you’re up!”

He let out a half-hearted huff, slipping off of the couch and stretching out his back. “Yeah yeah… so, do you know what K.O. was on about?” 

She laughed at that. “He didn’t tell you? Well, today’s the day! Your day to spend out here. First thing on the docket? Shopping!”

He blinked a bit, staring at her for a moment. “He…wasn’t joking…? He was actually… he actually let me out? I get… my own day…?” He grinned from ear to ear. Not negative in any way, just truly happy. “Well, Mum, where are we going shopping?”

“The mall, kiddo! Get yourself ready. I have a feeling you don’t want to go out in those…” She gestured down at what he was wearing. He glanced down, and his face fell. “Oh, COB no!” And he booked it to his room, leaving her in the living room laughing as she got herself ready.

He practically tore his way through the closet in K.O.’s room, his heart sinking when he saw the bright and happy colors within. He was definitely not leaving the house in the unicorn hoodie and bright pink pants he was wearing now. This must be K.O.’s last prank on him for the day! He growled, stripping off the clothes he was in. He had to at least get this crud off!

He took a deep breath once he was in his boxer shorts. “Calm down, T, you got this…Focus…” He managed to get his temper back under control, kicking the piled clothes to the side as he began searching for more clothes again. After ten minutes of searching, and a pair of scissors, he manages to put together an outfit all his own. 

He looked himself over, grinning. He had found an old, rather raggedy hoodie that managed to look cool with the sleeves sliced off. He adjusted his spiked cuffs and then adjusted his black tank top a bit, making sure it wasn’t to short. He looked down to his legs, having found a pair of jeans that must have been K.O.’s favourites for a while, as they were heavily worn with many holes and a couple patches, showing the desperate attempt at fixing them. K.O. probably wasn’t supposed to have had these clothes any more, an he was certain that their mom would have, if not should have, thrown them out a while ago.

They would serve his needs for the outing today. At least he wasn’t stuck wearing his alters bright colors all day this time.

He finally deemed himself as ready as his supplies would allow, and made his way out of his room. When he spotted his mom, he held out his arms to display his outfit. “What o you think?”

She looked him over, and sighed, smiling as she shook her head. “I think I’m glad that you found those clothes, so once we get you some new outfits, we can throw those out! You managed to make them look decent though, I good job! Looking good, Teeks!”

He puffed his chest, filled with pride as he strutted towards the door. “Well, what are we waiting for! Let’s get going!”

The commute was uneventful, as to be expected. Since it was still early in the morning, Carol decided to pull into a drive-through, picking herself up a coffee, and deciding on a hot chocolate for T.K.O. when he refused to yield on getting a coffee as well. He quieted down after she allowed him to ‘sneak’ a sip of her coffee, laughing when he complained about it being bitter. He turned to his cocoa, sipping at it. “That stuff is gross…. This is way better.”

Once they arrived at the Mall, T.K.O. found himself having difficulty in keeping himself from getting to excited. He was practically dragging Carol by har hand into the mall, making his way straight for the mall guide. He had to figure out what kinds of stores there were before he ran off to the wrong areas!

Carol let out an impressed whistle. “Wow Teeks, using the guide right away? K.O. usually just brings us through every store in the mall. You find somewhere particular?” He nodded, pointing towards the left wing of the mall on the second floor. 

“The clothing stores are over here, and if we follow along this way.” He traced his intended rout with his finger to show his mom. “Then we’ll pass by make up and accessories before we get to the food court!”

She leaned in a little closer, nodding. “Sounds like we have a game plan. Well, lead the way Peanut!” 

He nodded, turning to march confidently towards the section of the mall he had chosen. It was then that he paused in his steps, watching people mill about. “It’s uh… real busy today, isn’t it?” It really wasn’t, at least not for a standard Saturday. He didn’t know why, but he felt like the mall was a lot smaller than when they first got there.

He bit her lip a bit, watching as his mom walked ahead of him. Was she going without him? No, he had to catch up! He tried to take a step forward, but realized he was frozen in place. No, move…Move! He tried to at least reach out to her, but froze when he saw the black marks crawling up his arm. No! He couldn’t lose control, not now! Then he’d never be allowed out again, he’d be trapped in the cage forever, he wouldn’t get to talk to anyone again, K.O. might not even talk to him!

Carol didn’t take to long to realize that T.K.O. wasn’t beside her. She turned to see if he was ok, but stopped when she spotted him, barely a step away from the guide and shaking like a leaf, hands clutching at his chest as he tried to fight back tears. She ran back to him, kneeling down in front of him and gently placing her hands on his shoulders. “Teeks? Teeks, what’s wrong, talk to me hon…”

He jolted slightly when his mom was suddenly kneeling in front of him, holding him ever so gently by the shoulders. He took a deep, shaky breath, his hands slowly releasing his shirt as he tried to regain himself. With her close, and him able to focus on just her, it didn’t feel as much like the world was going to close in on him. 

Ironically, he felt less trapped with her holding him.

He let out a small hiccup, rubbing at his watery eyes. “S-Sorry, I just…I-I…” Carol shook her head and smiled softly at him. “It’s ok Teeks, you don’t have to force yourself… Do you need a hug…?”

He didn’t respond verbally, just pushing himself forward and clinging to her. He shook slightly as she wrapped her arms around him. She gently lifted him up, rubbing his back in small circles as she looked around. She quickly found a bench in a nearly empty area of the mall, right near the bookstore. She sat down, switching to petting his hair as she quietly hummed a song to him. 

He sighed softly, keeping his face buried in her shoulder as he listened to the tune. He recognized it… but he couldn’t remember it very well. He found himself humming along anyway, and by the end of the tune, he had finally calmed enough to pull away and look at Carol. It was a lucky thing he hadn’t stolen any of her make up today while he was getting ready. Otherwise he would most likely look like a racoon at the moment. 

She smiled a little brighter at him, continuing to pet his hair gently. “You know, you really do have soft hair.” T.K.O. couldn’t help the blush dusting his cheeks. He reached a hand up, combing it through his own hair. He smiled a little more. Yeah, he liked it when his hair was soft, even if it often looked messy and spikey. 

He took a deep breath, shuffling himself out of Carol’s loose hug and standing on the cold tile of the mall again. “I’m ready to try this again…”

She nodded, standing next to him before offering a hand to him. “Just hold my hand when you need it, ok? I won’t go far, Teeks.”

He hesitated a bit, looking at his black hand. He bit his lip a little as he gently took her hand, and she gave it a reassuring squeeze. He nodded at her, and started a slow pace towards the section of the mall he had wanted to go to before. As they reached more crowded areas, he found himself hesitating, slowing a little. When he felt a small, reassuring squeeze from Carol’s hand, he glanced up at her to see her smiling sweetly at him.

Yeah, he could do this. He wasn’t alone. He could keep calm, and nothing would go wrong. As he focused on the warm hand in his, trying his best not to squeeze Carol’s hand to hard when someone passed a little to close to them. Once they made it to the section of the mall he had originally wanted, he let out a relieved sigh when he noticed that the store in particular that he hoped to visit most was nearly empty. He gave his moms hand a gentle tug as he pulled her inside.

“A thrift Shop? This should be fun! You never know what you can find at these kinds of places.” Carol smiled down at him. “Which do you want to look for first? Shirts?” 

He nodded, letting a spark of power dance through him as he used it to float up into the air, just enough to see over all the racks. “Over there, I see the shirts!” Carol laughed a bit. That certainly took the guesswork out of finding a particular section! She followed him once he landed again, smiling softly as he inevitably got distracted by the jewelry section. He stared with glittering eyes at a purple spiked collar style necklace. 

Carol looked at it, a little confused on her son’s choice in style, but she really couldn’t argue it. She was a little surprised when she heard him sigh and continue on his way. “Don’t you want it, Teeks?”

He nodded a bit, but shrugged. “Well, I mean yeah, it’s cool and all, but I gotta focus on a new shirt!” 

Carol glanced back towards the choker; she certainly didn’t peg T.K.O. to be the more reserved of the two personalities that made up her son! She hurried to catch up with T.K.O., hatching a plan that she knew would definitely make the boys day all that much better. When she caught up to him, he was looking through the t-shirts, avoiding anything with bright colors. “Anything you’re looking for in particular? You sort of have a purple thing going on, do you like that color?”

He looked over to her, nodding a bit. “That, and dark blue. They work pretty well together without being all bright and flashy.” With the colors in mind, Carol set to work, pulling several t-shirts, and even a couple of tank tops and long sleeves off of the rack, setting them aside on a near by table. She had found about 7, while T.K.O. only brought three. He looked over their finds, taking to looking through Carol’s pile first. He’d consider each shirt, bringing it to his chest to see the fit before shaking his head.

She noticed quickly that he seemed to be looking for something a little bit baggy. There were two shirts he seemed reluctant to say no to, and two he seemed to really adore. He held up his two, one being black with the outline of a five-pointed star in white, and the other being purple with a faded band logo on it. “I like these two the best.”

She held the other two he seemed interested in up. “What about these? You seemed to like them to.” She held a purple long-sleeved shirt that had a wrap around design on the right side of the torso that looked like silver metallic circuitry. The other was a dark chalky blue tank top with a dark red lightning bolt on the front. 

He nodded a bit. “Yeah, I like them, but I don’t need to much. I’m not out often enough to need a whole closet. Not that I have one anyway. I can always remember what they look like and have K.O. make em for me later.”

That had her curious as she accepted the clothes he had picked, tossing them into the cart. “What do you mean by that, kiddo?” She used her question to mask her sneaking his other two shirts in as well. 

It was a success, as he was to busy trying to figure out how best to describe it. “Well, since K.O. realized I was kind of my own living person, he basically imagined me a house to live in with all sorts of junk in it. None of it’s really real though, and I spend most of my time cut off from his life, but it’s definitely better than the cage…” He gripped his arms lightly and gave a shudder. 

Carol knelt down, a worried expression gracing her features. “What do you mean cage?”

T.K.O. looked away a bit, not meeting her eyes. “Well, I started off as just… emotion, ya know? I was K.O.’s anger and hatred, all bundled into a little ball of bad that he could lock away. It was never far though, just sitting in his head, under control only because he could remember what you taught him… focus.”

He spotted a particularly soft looking hoodie hanging not far away, walking over to it and pulling it off of the rack, staring at it in his hands as he rubbed circles into the soft fabric with his thumb. Carol was a little worried that was all she would get out of him before he continued talking.

“But then, Shadowy Figure happened… My first memories of my own… of being me…alive… was when K.O. was being told he was weak… worthless…” The blackness on his arms began to inch upwards. “That was Shadowy… he wanted to draw me out, make me…real. I don’t know why…” His grip tightened in the fabric as tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. “I hate him….! I don’t know why he made me real… But now I’m just anger embodied… things get to me faster than they do K.O., and I feel his negative emotion as if it were my own… it’s so hard for me to just be… happy…”

He clung tightly to the soft fabric, kneeling down and practically curling around it. “When I was just bubbling emotion… I didn’t care that I couldn’t touch things… couldn’t fell real things… I was…no, I wasn’t anything, I couldn’t be anything, but then…. I was given freedom…I was allowed out… then I…I messed it up…!”

He punched the ground in front of him, but it was weak, just frustration, not anger, no power behind the strike. “I got locked back into that cage I was born in… and honestly, I don’t blame K.O. either…. He’s a hero…and he locked away the villain…” He looked over at Carol, tears streaming down his cheeks. “What’s all I am… badness… hatred and anger… a villain…”

Carol knew that T.K.O. wasn’t around for long, and knew there had to have been something that triggered his arrival, but she had no idea how hard it had been for him. She reached out towards the boy, and when he didn’t pull away, she gently pulled him into a hug. He didn’t fuss, just continuing to rub the soft fabric as he melted a bit into the warm embrace. 

After a minute, he finally looked up at her. “it’s why I like soft things… like this.” He held up the sweater, gently rubbing it on her hand to show her how soft it was. “When I’m out, I get to really feel things… I like soft things, and warm things… I don’t get stuff like that in the mind-scape… none of it’s real, so…”

She smiled down at him, giving him a little squeeze. “How bout you hold on to that sweater, we’ll buy it when we’re done in here… That way you have something to rub if you need to, ok?”

He smiled a bit, rubbing his eyes before nodding. “Yeah… I think I found my sweater then…. Pants next?” 

She laughed softly, nodding as she allowed him to jump out of her arms, floating a foot off the ground. “Sure, pumpkin! Which way to the pants?” 

He nodded a bit, floating a little higher to look at the racks again. He pointed off to the left. “Over there, three isles over.” He landed back down beside her, sticking close as they made their way over. He eventually was able to drape the sweater over the edge of the cart, focusing more on the clothes they passed when the reached the pants. There wasn’t much selection. He couldn’t find a pair of jeans he liked, either because they wouldn’t fit, were to bright for his tastes, or just were not at all comfortable. 

Eventually he settled on two pairs of pants, one being loose black track pants, and the other being a pair of soft jeggings. It was a decent marriage between the look of denim and the feeling of soft track pants. They had the look of faded grey jeans, so it really wasn’t far out of his color range either. His mom ended up convincing him to look for some shorts to, since it tended to be to hot for pants most times.

A pair of Grey cargo shorts and a pair of soft camo colored kakis found their way into the cart before they headed towards the swimming section. It took the better part of ten or so minutes for T.K.O. to decide on swimwear, and Carol could hardly blame him. She was shocked to see that not only were the young girls’ swimsuits skimpier than they had any right to be, but she certainly didn’t think there should exist swim trunks with so little fabric! The two ended up agreeing on a simple pair of swim trunks, even if they were slightly to big for T.K.O.

The boy assured her that since there was a draw string, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. “It’s not like I’ll ever really get a chance to wear them again.” She wasn’t sure she liked the pessimism in his tone, but she figured she’d leave it alone for the time being. He seemed to be a little overwhelmed on the trip as it was, what with how many times he had broken down already. She didn’t mind, nor think any less of him, but she was certainly worried. He seemed to be strained thinner than he could handle. 

As they made their way to the cash, she made sure they took the rout that had them pass by the accessory section from earlier. She grabbed a set of hair ties and another item, slipping them into the cart quickly as they made it to the cash.

She asked T.K.O. to choose a chocolate from the rack behind them as she cashed out, which distracted him long enough to scan through her secret gifts. He managed to select an aero bar before she finished. He handed it to her. “I know this one’s peanut free. K.O. ran me through a list of what’s ok and what’s not yesterday.”

She blinked a bit, handing it to the worker to scan. “Oh? That’s responsible of you both! I was a little worried that you somehow might not know about your shared allergies…”

He huffed a bit, crossing his arms. “No way! I got a chance to see the memory of one of his reactions. I don’t feel like going through that…” They both shuddered a bit at the memory. The cashier handed her the chocolate bar, and once they left the store, she held it out for T.K.O. to take.

She smiled sweetly when he gave her a confused look. “Don’t worry, I trust you’ll have enough of an appetite to eat lunch, and besides, you’ve had a bit of a hard day so far, I think you deserve a treat~.”

His eyes sparkled as he accepted the chocolate bar from his mom, tearing open the wrapper and breaking off a piece. He popped it into his mouth, letting out a happy sigh as he let the chocolate melt, enjoying the feeling of the bubbles inside melting. He broke off another piece, and held it out for Carol. She smiled brightly, accepting it and popping it into her mouth as well, sighing in much the same contented way he had as she did the same.

They enjoyed the chocolate together as they made their way to the makeup store. Once they made it, T.K.O. tossed the empty chocolate wrapper in a near by trash can before they stepped inside. He looked around. “Now…Um, I know how to wear it, but I don’t really know much about what to buy for myself…” He looked up at Carol. “Any ideas…?”

She hummed a bit, then had an idea. “Why don’t we ask the make up professional they have here? They know what they’re doing, and she might even be willing to do yours while we’re here!”

His eyes sparkled a bit, but then he seemed a bit nervous. “You sure they’ll be ok doing it with a boy? I mean, I love wearing makeup, but…” He looked away. “I notice people tend to look at me a bit funny…”

Carol knelt down to his level, reaching out a hand and ruffling his hair. “Hon, they’re just jealous that you can rock that look! They wish they could be as cool as you.” 

He blushed brightly, scratching at his cheek a bit as he looked down, a shy smile pulling at his mouth. “Ya think so…? Alright, let’s go see this pro!”

He held on to her shirt as she carried the bags, having insisted she be the one carrying them. That was mostly so T.K.O. didn’t get the urge to peak at the secret gifts she got him. When they made it to the make up professional, T.K.O. quickly realized that he had absolutely nothing to worry about. Though he felt very awkward as the girl began to fuss over him. 

After Carol had explained that it was T.K.O. looking for a bit of make up, the person seemed to smile more honestly, rather than being overly bubbly. They walked over to the stool, stepping on the height control button on the floor to lower it. “Need a hand up, dear?” 

He shook his head. While it still wasn’t low enough to climb onto normally, he simply floated himself up, lowering himself onto the seat as he looked up at them. They smiled brightly upon seeing that. “Oh, you’re a hero! How impressive~”

T.K.O. blushed again, looking away shyly. “Err, I dunno if I’d call myself a hero...”

The make up professional tsked, stepping on a pump lever several times to bring T.K.O. to the proper height to work on. “Nonsense, dear. I have a bit of a power of my own, you know. I can feel the energy people give off, and you?” They closed their eyes a bit, then grinned wide.

“I can feel a lot of strength coming from you. You have some darkness to you… but even the strongest heroes do. Just don’t let it get to you.”

He smiled a little bit, looking back towards the person. “That’s a pretty cool power… I’m T.K.O., by the way… what’s your name…?”

The person laughed softly, reaching into their back pocket and pulling out, of all things, a POW card. They held it out for him to take. “My names Panowl. Nice ta meetcha.” They held a hand out to T.K.O., and he tilted his head slightly before taking it. It was less of a hand, and more of a wing. He couldn’t help but appreciate the soft feathers the other had. He pulled his had away and looked up at the other.

“So, miss Panowl- “They held up a hand. 

“No miss, hon. No mister either. I don’t really fall into either category. Just call me Panowl, makes things a lot easier!” The bright smile they had reminded him a lot of K.O. somehow. 

He nodded a little. “Alright, Panowl. So, you’re the pro, what do you suggest?”

They hummed a bit, turning towards their supplies. “Well, first I gotta know, what kind of make up are you wanting? There are a lot of types, and you’re not wearing any right now. Did you want something to cover all of your face, like foundation?”

He shook his head. 

“OK, what about lipstick? Or blush?

Another shake of his head. “No, I mostly wear stuff on my eyes.”

Panowl let out an appreciative whistle, looking back towards the boy on the stool. “Yeah, I can see that. You have nice eyes; I’d want to draw attention to them as well. It’s a nice soft purple… like lilac almost.”

He blushed brightly at the comment, which earned a giggle from the artist. “Don’t worry dear, I know just what to do. A nice shadow... maybe some blues so it doesn’t draw away from your eyes, but still draws another’s eyes up…Want eye liner to?”

He nodded eagerly, and they grinned, selecting a few supplies before setting them on a separate table, bringing it closer to T.K.O. as they finished getting ready. “Now hon, I’m going to need you to close your eyes while I put the shadow on… You can still talk though. I’m like a hairdresser in a way, someone you can talk to if you need to.”

T.K.O. hesitated a moment, before taking a deep breath and nodding, closing his eyes as he exhaled. As they got to work, T.K.O. found his mind wandering a little. “Panowl…how come you decided to do this kind of job…? I mean, most times I hear about girls wearing make up… but here you are, boing it on a boy… and you’re not even a girl or a boy…?”

That earned a small laugh out of the artist. They continued to work with gentle hands, or wings as it were, while they spoke. “That’s both simple, and complex T.K.O., See, I was born with the body of a girl, so I got pushed into make up when I was really young… But of course, being a girl didn’t feel right. So, when I got older and felt I could be who I wanted to, I tried to be more like a boy. That was a little better, but still didn’t feel right. All though that confusion though, I continued with make up. It was calming for me. And I learned that depending on whether I wanted to be a boy or a girl, I could make myself look like either…”

They gave him a gentle poke on his cheek, causing him to laugh a bit and open his eyes. He looked into theirs, seeing a calm expression in the bright blue eyes. “Good, now keep your eyes open, this might be a little bit scary, cause I’m going to be bringing things near your eyes…” They grabbed for the mascara, applying a small amount as they continued their story. “See, I learned that I could put on any kind of mask I wanted… Boy or girl, though, it never felt right… So, I decided, why be either? When I said that to myself… Ah, hold on.” 

They put down the mascara, picking up a liquid eyeliner. “Water proof.” They winked. “Just in case, cause ya never know.” They began to apply it gently to his upper lid. “Now, where was I…Ah, right. When I learned that I didn’t have to be either, I felt like me at last… so now, I can be me.” They gave him a knowing look. “What I’m getting at, dear, is that you can’t relegate yourself to certain groups… you may find you don’t fit in any space set out for you…”

They clicked the eyeliner closed and stood back. “So, make your own. And now that I do make up because I love it. I used it as a shield, and now it’s my art… And I must say, you are a master piece~” They picked up a hand mirror, offering it to T.K.O.

He took it, and looked down at his reflection. His eyes widened a little. It wasn’t over board, just enough to draw attention as Panowl had said. He blinked a bit, then grinned at the other. “Yeah…I do look pretty good, don’t I? I can definitely take my own place in the world looking like this…”

Panowl smiled softly, poking him gently on the forehead. “Looks aren’t everything, hon. It’s who you are inside. You have something to you; I can feel it. You’re going to make a big difference. Hero or not.”

They both looked up as Carol returned from her browsing of the store, gasping softly and giving a small, delighted squeal upon seeing T.K.O. “Oh, Teeks, you look so handsome!”

He puffed his chest with pride, floating up and off of the stool to land on the floor. “I do, don’t I!”

She nodded. “For sure! Now, let’s pick up what you got on there, and bring some home~.”

Panowl took that as their que, jotting down a quick list of what was used. It was legible… barely. “Sorry for the chicken scratch. Writing has never been my strong suit.” As they handed it to Carol, Panowl waved them off as they went to go pick up the make up on the list. They let out a soft sigh. “This kid will change the world.” They adjusted the glasses hanging off of their nose. “I just wonder how…”

Carol hummed as she double and triple checked the list, getting everything on it and throwing in some nail polishes as well before they made their way to check out. Once finished in the store, T.K.O. took a moment to look for the rout to their next destination. After all that happened, he wanted to grab some food! He looked over towards Carol, and noticed she was having a little trouble re-arranging the bags to make them easier to carry. He huffed, grabbing half of the bags to carry.

Carol was about to protest until she got a half-hearted glare from T.K.O. “I know you’re strong, mom, but you gotta let me help. They’re just bags, after all.” She sighed in defeat, nodding a bit.

“Alright, I get it… though that sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it, Teeks?” He blushed rather brightly, looking away as he finished settling the bags over his elbows. 

“L-Let’s just get some food!” And with that, he padded off quickly in the direction of the food court. He stopped dead in his tracks when they made it there though. He gulped, taking a small step backwards. That was… a lot of people. It was lunch time after all, so nearly every mall patron had congregated here. 

His hands began to shake, and he gripped at his shirt. When Carol had caught up to him, she saw what was happening quickly. She set her bags down, kneeling in front of him to block his view of the people, but not yet reaching out to him. “Teeks, T.K.O., you’re ok… it’s ok, I’m here…”

He blinked a bit in surprise, as though he just noticed her again. He took a deep, shaky breath before letting it out. “Focus…”

She nodded at him. “Atta boy… focus is the key here, focus on me…”

He took a few more calming breaths before he looked to her sadly. “Can we… go home for lunch…I don’t think I can…” He glanced over her shoulder a bit, but he didn’t have to say any more. 

She nodded, holding her arms out to him. “Sure, kiddo. Come on, I’ll carry you out.” He hesitated at first, but relented when he realized his legs felt more like paper than anything that would help with walking, and he didn’t trust tapping into his power to float. She gently scooped him up into a one-armed hug, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders loosely. 

He let out a defeated sigh. “Sorry I ruined our day…”

Carol blinked in surprise, but continued walking. “What do you mean hon? I had a blast! Plus, I got to learn so much about you… I know what you like and what is hard for you … And that’s a good day in my books. I know how to help you now if you need me to…” 

As they made it to the car, she put the bags in the trunk before setting T.K.O. down on the ground. She smiled at him softly. “And never hesitate to ask me for help…I’m your mom, that’s my job sweety~” She gave him a wide, tooth grin. Her ever present tooth gap bringing just a little more brightness to it.

He couldn’t help a smile as well, nodded before climbing into the car. “Alright mom.” As he watched her circle around and climb into the front seat, he bit his lip slightly. “Um, mom…?”

She turned a bit to look back at him. “Yeah, sweety?”

He looked away a bit, then back at her. “I love you, mom.”

Her eyes widened a little. It took a second to process, but she let out an excited squeal when she realized what he had said. She laughed at his embarrassed look before she managed to reel herself in. 

“I love you to, Teeks. Never forget it.”

Once they arrived home, T.K.O. seemed much calmer, moving less stiffly and with less urgency. He helped Carol bring in the shopping bags, and set them next to the couch as she had instructed. Once the bags and themselves were set, she pulled out her phone. “What kind of pizza would you like, hon?” 

He looked up at her, clearly excited by the prospect of pizza. “Oh! I like it a bit spicy. And I LOVE mushrooms!” He thought about it a bit more. “And maybe extra cheese…?”

She laughed softly, ruffling his hair as she nodded. “Sounds good! I’ll get a large for us both to share, since Eugene won’t be back until later.” 

He nodded, reaching for the T.V. remote as his Carol placed the order for delivery. He began to flick through the cannels, but it didn’t look like there was much on in the way of T.V. shows. Though he did pause his surfing on a rather interesting looking action movie. It looked like it was about a blue villain with a rather large head that ended up becoming a hero. He glanced over to his mom as she finished the call, and figured he’d ask. “Is this ok?”

She quickly read the description before nodding. “Oh, yeah! That actually sounds like a pretty interesting movie… We can watch it while we go through the bags!”

He smiled at that, clicking the play button to start the movie as Carol began to fish out clothes from the bag. “I managed to grab you a few secret gifts, Teeks~. But first, why don’t we do our hair?” She pulled out the hair elastics, and a nice hair brush. He blinked a bit, then smiled. “Alright, I’ve never tried to put my hair up, could be interesting.”

They watched the movie as T.K.O. sat on the floor in front of Carol, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of her playing with his hair and combing it into a loose pony tail. “Alright, Teeks, close your eyes for me, alright?”

He was confused by the request, but shrugged a little, closing his eyes. He jumped a bit when he felt something come to sit loosely around his neck, and then he heard a soft click behind his head. “Alright, you can open them!”

When he opened his eyes, he came face to face with his reflection, cast from a mirror that Carol was holding in front of him. He had no words. He reached a hand up, tracing a finger over the rather soft purple leather, and then along one of the dulled ivory spikes that sprang up at regular intervals along it. It was the collar he had seen in the thrift store! He spun around, looking up at an excited looking Carol. “So, do you like it?”

She didn’t have time to brace herself as T.K.O. launched himself off of the floor and into her arms, hugging her tightly as he laughed. “I love it! I didn’t think you’d—I mean—This is awesome! I love it so much, mom!” He pulled away again, grabbing the mirror as he admired himself. He smirked at his reflection, then realized something. 

He could only see himself in it. Hie eyes widened in fear as a familiar cold sensation overcame him. He dropped the mirror as though it had burned him, not wanting a repeat of what happened with the last mirror. 

Carol jumped a bit when the mirror hit the floor, thankfully not breaking. She reached out and picked it up, setting it aside on the couch as she gently set her hands on T.K.O.’s shoulders. “Teeks, what’s wrong…? Did something happen…?”

He clutched the wrist of the hand that had been holding the mirror, trying his best to focus on keeping the black from overcoming his arms. He shook, sparks of purple energy dancing from his finger tips. He had to get himself under control. He could almost hear that phantom whispering in his ear…

He jolted when he felt Carol give him a little shake, snapping him out of his rapid downward spiral. He looked back towards her, meeting her concerned eyes with his own scared gaze. He had a little difficulty focusing on her voice when she spoke again. ‘W-What…?”

“I asked what’s going on…? You look like you’ve seen a ghost…”

He shivered again. She wasn’t very far from the truth, he guessed. But he couldn’t explain about that…thing. Not yet, not today. This was supposed to be his day in the sunshine… not cowering in shadows as usual… 

He shook his head, forcing a small smile. “I-It’s ok, guess I just spooked myself a little. I think I need some sun though, it’s kinda dark in here…”

She didn’t look entirely convinced, but nodded none the less. “We can head to the beach now, I guess. Go get your things together… Your swimsuit is in this bag.” She held up a bag for him, and he accepted it, padding off to his room. 

As soon as the door was closed, he collapsed against it, shaking as he hugged himself tight, feeling the purple energy spark wildly off of his hair and fingertips. He felt like he was going to explode! It felt like that time that he had absorbed the Glorbs and went berserk. He remembered it far clearer than K.O. did, but he still felt like a passenger that day. He couldn’t stop himself until… until it was to late…

He clutched his head tightly. “N-No, don’t think about that… don’t think…. just…” He took a deep, shaky breath. “F-Focus….” He did his best to calm himself, leveling his breathing and finally getting his shakes under control. He let out a tired sigh, standing up as he felt the last of the sparks dying down. He flexed his fingers a bit to make sure his power was settled. 

“I really do need some sun… get away from shadow for a while…” He changed quickly, making doubly sure that the baggy swim shorts wouldn’t fall off before he grabbed his sweater to cover his torso as he left the room, He found his mom standing in the doorway, wearing a swimsuit under an open front sun cardigan. He smiled, more naturally than before. “Shall we?”

She smiled softly at him before nodding. “Yeah! Let’s go, kiddo!” 

It didn’t take them all that long to make it to the beach, but when they got there, he couldn’t get the toothy grin off his face. “E-Everyone’s here!”

Carol grinned at him. “Yup! K.O. wanted to make sure this beach trip went extra well, so he invited all your friends!”

He let out a soft sigh. “That goof ball, of course he did…” He’d have to give that dork a proper thank you later. Most likely tomorrow, since K.O.’s inner clock was better than he did, so he’d know once the day was finally over. He hopped out of the car, sprinting along the board walk until he felt the sand under his feet. He stopped dead in his tracks, closing his eyes as he wiggled his toes.

It was definitely better than imagining it in the mind-space…! He could feel warmth bleeding into him from the sun-baked sand, and cool-sun warming the air around him. It all felt… so real.

He did his best not to tear up from the sensations as he finally continued onward, towards the beach picnic with his friends. He grinned as a wicked idea sprang into his mind as he tossed his sweater next to the picnic blanket. He chose his target carefully, and then….

“GOTCHA!” He pounced on Rad’s back, who had been chatting with Enid. Upon being sprung upon, he let out a high shriek, leaping higher into the air than T.K.O. expected. He held fast, laughing as they finally landed. “Ha-ha! Scared ya, Rad!”

Rad turned, finally getting a look at his aggressor as he used his power to grab T.K.O., looping him around to the front so he could give him a half-hearted glare. “You little beast! You scared the blorp out of me!!”

T.K.O. cackled loudly, clutching his stomach as he hovered in the air. When Rad released him, he used his own powers to continue floating, ruining Rad’s plan of dumping him on the sand. Even Enid is laughing at Rad’s indignation. 

Once he finally came down from his mirth, T.K.O. landed gently on the sand, his hands resting on his hips as he grinned wickedly up at Rad. The alien in question huffed, then reached out, ruffling the boy’s hair. “I hafta admit, T, you got me pretty good.” Rad gave the boy a devilish grin, that made T.K.O. a little nervous. “My turn.”

He barely had time to register what was going on as he was suddenly lifted by hand over Rad’s head as he charged towards the water. “W-Wait hold on! Rad what are you plan-ah!” He barely had time to hold his breath and close his eyes as he was thrown into the water. 

He opened his eyes as he floated under the water, looking around. It was amazing… he watched the suns rays filter through the water as it illuminated the world below the surface. He blinked a bit as a fish spotted him, staring at him for a moment before darting away. He pushed himself upwards through the water, breaking the surface with a gasp and a splutter to get the water out of his nose and mouth. 

Rad was laughing as he swam out. “Sorry, kiddo. Got a little carried away and threw you farther than I planned. You alright, dude?”

T.K.O. laughed, swiping his hand through the water to splash Rad in the face. “Yeah, man!” That quickly dissolved into an epic splash war, both boys starting to get a little to crazy with it before they heard a call from the beach. It was Carol and Gar, waving them over. T.K.O. grins wickedly at Rad. “Race you to shore!” And with that, he kicked himself towards shore, splashing Rad one last time in the face.

It didn’t take long to reach the shore, T.K.O. only barely beating out Rad, and that was only because of his head start. He whooped as he pulled himself out of the water, practically dancing. “Ha-ha! I won!” 

Rad huffed, feigning indignance, talking between pants. “Ah, I let you win!” 

“If you weren’t tryin’, why are ya so outta breath?” 

Enid grinned. “He’s got a point, Rad. He beat you fair and square.”

They all shared a laugh as they made their way towards the picnic blanket. Once seated, T.K.O. couldn’t help but look around at all the people gathered. People he could honestly count as friends… He lost himself in the conversations dancing between them, just enjoying the company. 

Before any of them really noticed, the sun was on the horizon, painting the sky in beautiful colors as they watched. He sighed. It had been a great day… He slipped on his sweater as a chill fell over the beach, stuffing his hands into his pockets. 

He perked up a little bit, feeling something in his pocket. He pulled it out, and smiled softly. It was that Glorbie he and Ginger had grabbed from Boxman’s place. He unwrapped it, looking it over. It had a familiar feeling to it… He just couldn’t place it. He gave it a small sniff, shrugging slightly. It was just candy, right? He popped it into his mouth, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the sugary sweet.

It took him only a moment to realize why it felt familiar as a rush of energy ran through him. It felt like Glorbs, but not right. He opened his mouth as though to spit it out, but was bumped from behind by Rad. “What’cha got there, lil’ buddy?”

T.K.O. jolted, snapping his jaw shut in surprise. He felt his sharp teeth shatter the candy in his mouth as his eyes went wide. It felt like a bomb went off in his body when the candy broke. 

The world went white as he felt like he was being torn in two.


	12. Two heads aren't always better than one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K.O. and T.K.O. have to deal with a sudden and very drastic change in their lives, and Enid gets her own news.

To say K.O. was surprised when he woke up on the beach would have been an understatement. He let out a soft groan, pushing himself up to a kneeling position as he rubbed at his head. He paused when he heard a jingling sound, looking at his left wrist to see a blue metal band, a couple links of a chain hanging from it. He looked it over, giving it a tug and finding a strange sense of tension from the end that ended with nothing.

He heard another faint jingling not to far away, accompanied by another pained groan. He looked over, and his face dropped. This SO was not real. He looked around to see the stunned expressions of his friends and family. He spotted his mommy, who’s eyes were dancing between himself, and the source of the pained grumbling near him. 

OK. So, she was seeing this to, right? He looked over again, and watched as T.K.O. slowly lifted himself from the sand. “W-What the…what just happened…? Oh, my head is killing… me….” The alter form trailed off as he spotted K.O. staring at him in utter shock. “WHAT THE COB?!”

K.O. let out a small squeak of surprise at the others outburst. Scrambling back slightly. He paused when he heard the clatter of the chain, watching as T.K.O. finally seemed to register the sight of it. He looked towards his left arm, spotting a purple metal band with a couple links dangling from it as well. 

They met each others eye again, before they both closed them. They found they were able to communicate with each other, as though through telepathy, but there was no more mind-scape to go to. K.O. let out a scared whimper and T.K.O. groaned loudly, flopping back into the sand. 

They spoke in unison. “We’ve been split…”

That got the gathering to finally break their stunned silence. “WHAT?!”

It took a while for everyone to calm down, Gar taking the lead on questions as the two boys sat side by side, T.K.O. with his arms and legs crossed and K.O. looking at the chain on his arm, rattling it occasionally. “So, boys, do you have any idea how this happened?”

K.O. shook his head, but T.K.O. thought about it a moment. “Maybe… it was that candy…?”

Gar tilted his head a little bit, and even K.O. seemed a little surprised. “Candy? What candy?”

T.K.O. gave a little shrug, pulling the candy wrapper from his pocket. “Ginger called it a Glorbie. We stole one from Box butt a while ago.” 

That got Ginger’s attention. “What? But Glorbies are basically just energy candies! I’ve never heard of this kind of thing happening…”

The Turbo boy huffed. “Well maybe that’s what you get when someone like us eats em? I don’t know, I’m just as lost as all of you guys! You probably should have mentioned they were straight up made of GLORBS though you know!! I mean really, we already have an issue with those things!”

K.O. looked away at the mention of the floating balls of energy, but Carol, Gar and the Bodega ladies all shared a concerned look. Dendy looked between the two boys worriedly, and Rad and Enid were both a little confused, opting to listen until they figured a bit more of the situation out.

Carol spoke carefully. “Boys… What exactly do you know about Glorbs, anyway…?”

K.O. spoke up this time. “They do funny things to us… They make us really strong, but… It hurts…” He clutched his stomach a bit, and T.K.O. picked up the explanation in his place. “That time K.O. ran away, and you guys found us under the Bodega…” He looked over towards Rad and Enid. “That area was filled with Glorbs. We were torn about what had happened, and somehow, we ended up absorbing the Glorbs… They came to us, and just… I don’t know, but neither of us wanted to fight you guys that day…” 

T.K.O. paused a moment, looking down at his hands, still stained black like K.O.’s. “I guess I kind of ended up a passenger, even in our own body… The power those things gave us was way too much…” He pointed at himself. “And that candy I was sucking on felt like it was just a concentrated group of them. I was going to spit it out until…” he glared pointedly at Rad, who shrank a little. “SOMEONE bumped me and made me break the candy. I guess that let all the power out at once.”

Dendy adjusted her goggles slightly as she processed the available information. “Well, this is certainly not something I have heard of happening with Glorbs before. For those in the habit of creating robots, they are indeed a power source. Even so, from the research I have done into them, it is unheard of for a human to be able to process, let alone harness, the power they give… After all, it is raw energy given form.”

K.O. stared at the sand, reaching out and combing a finger through it before scooping up a handful. “Energy…” He spoke softly that it was a miracle anyone in the assembly heard him. He watched as the sand fell from between his fingers. “T.K.O… do you remember that day…? I feel like… some of it is missing, but… some of it, I remember… With Venomous…”

T.K.O. visibly flinched, shivering a bit as he drew his sweater closer around his shoulders. “You mean the cold? After we blacked out from those Glorbs he fore fed us…?”

“Yeah… Do you think it had to do with the s—Mph!” K.O. was cut off as T.K.O. leapt at him, clamping a hand over his mouth and hissing at the boy beneath him. 

“That… is not something to bring up now, you and I need more information first, and I am NOT dealing with it... not right now…” T.K.O. glanced over to the group assembled, carol the only one still sitting after the Turbo boy’s outburst. He let out a soft growl, slowly getting off of K.O. as he huffed. He glared around the assembly. “We have something we need to figure out, but it has nothing to do with this, so drop it… It’s…” He looked away. “It’s nothing.”

None of them seemed to buy that, but any further probing got nothing out of the two boys. After a little while of failed questioning, Carol sighed, standing up and clapping her hands together to get the attention of those present. “I think it’s time we all go home… it’s past the boys bed time, and I think we can all guess this isn’t exactly easy on them…” She glanced down at Gar, who nodded, standing as well. Ever since her and Gar had started dating, their communication had gotten much better, to the point of not needing words at all. 

K.O. shook his head. “I’m not tired…” 

That earned a humorless laugh from T.K.O. “Yes, you are, I can still feel you, you know.” He tugged the chain on his wrist, which jingled the chain on both of them. “I can feel everything through this weird connection.”

With a sigh, K.O. relented. He stood slowly, patting the sand off of his shorts as he nodded. “And I know you’re tired to, you big softy.”

T.K.O. let out an indignant huff, but didn’t argue it. He just crossed his arms over his chest, starting the walk up the sandy hill towards the family car. “Let’s just go ho—oh…Uh, what are we doing about beds…?”

K.O.’s eyes lit up. “You can share the bed with me!” 

As much as T.K.O. rejected that idea, by the time the four of them got home, both boys were already fast asleep, Gar carrying in K.O. while Carol took T.K.O. in. The two tucked both boys into K.O.’s bed, and neither could hold in a quite ‘d’aww’ at seeing T.K.O. immediately cling to and cuddle up with K.O. as he let out a soft and contented sigh. 

In the morning, K.O. was the first to wake up, stretching slightly as he blinked the sleep away. What a weird dream… He snuggled a bit into the warmth wrapped around him, until he finally realized just what, or who, it was. He did his best not to jump out of bed, instead slowly and gently squirming out of T.K.O.’s arms, sure that if the other were to wake up in that position, he would end up with some unwarranted bruises.

Once K.O. finally got himself away from the other, he sighed, moving to get himself dressed. He’d let his alter sleep… or maybe he was more like a brother now? He finished slipping on his white tank top, reaching for his vest as he looked at the sleeping T.K.O. He had to admit, the other looked so peaceful when asleep. 

Once he had himself ready for work at the Bodega, he snuck quietly out of the room, closing the door as quietly as he could before he made his way to the kitchen, where Gar and Carol were already sitting. He paused in the hallway though, listening to their conversation while he remained hidden.

Carol sighed, holding her head in her hands as she did her best to sort out her thoughts. “I just don’t understand… I’ve never heard of this, a person being able to use Glorbs? And why my boy… Well, boys now, I guess… Oh that will take some getting used to… two years ago T.K.O. barely even existed…!”

Gar reached over from his seat at the table, gently rubbing Carol’s back. “I know, it’s all so confusing… First, K.O. get’s those… marks on him from that fight, next he gets T.K.O., and then captured by Venomous… and now, this…”

Carol rested her head on the table. “There’s something else, to… he’s been avoiding mirrors to… when T.K.O. and I had that shopping day, I gave him a mirror to see the collar I gave him… and he suddenly froze up… And there was the incident with the mirror in his room, to…. I offered to replace it, but he panicked and said no… He didn’t explain past that, and then there was that outburst last night on the beach before they stopped talking…”

The man nodded. “Maybe… I should talk to them? They might listen to me…”

She shook her head. “No…” She looked at him, tears pricking her eyes. “They’re both so distant… I thought I was getting T.K.O. to open up to me, but... I have a feeling we need to give them space, and they’ll open eventually…” She pulled at her headband, pulling it loose and letting her hair fall loose against her back. “I’m sorry, Gar… but I miss him… I miss his dad… I miss…I miss Laserblast… He and T.K.O. have a similar power… you saw it the first day he came around, that energy dome that drained us all…”

K.O.’s eyes snapped open. His dad… was Laser blast? The old pro hero from P.O.I.N.T.? He bit his lip hard, intent to keep listening. 

Gar nodded a bit. “I miss him to, Carol… There has to be something we can do…” 

K.O. took a deep breath. He let out a loud yawn, stepping out of the hallway as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was greeted with smiles and chipper good mornings, which he returned. It was an act on the part of all three, but none seemed willing to broach the subjects they all had on their minds.

They shared a pleasant breakfast, which was interrupted as K.O. suddenly clutched his head, feeling a wave of panic suddenly flood into him. 

Carol was up and at his side quickly. “K.O. what’s wrong?”

He shook his head a bit, trying to radiate calm through the link he and his new twin shared. “I-It’s T.K.O., he just woke up and panicked a little since I wasn’t in there. I let him know I’m just in the kitchen with you guys.” He looked towards the hall as T.K.O. appeared there, appearing to visibly relax when he saw them all. K.O. offered an excited wave, which the other just scoffed at, moving to sit at the table as well. 

Carol smiled a bit, ruffling T.K.O.’s bedhead as she passed him, sitting down at her seat again. “Morning, Teeks, how did you sleep?”

The boy yawned a bit, rubbing at his eyes. “Fine, I guess. It was weird though. I slept better when I could slip into the Mind-scape…”

K.O. nodded in agreement, taking another bite of his toast. “I know what you mean. It was weird not having that.”

T.K.O. started to munch on the toast that Carol had set out for him, glancing between the other three at the table, talking through the food. “Sho, wash the plam?”

Carol gave him a mom glare. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, T.K.O.”

The boy groaned, finishing his mouth full before talking again. “What’s the plan for the day. I know that normally you all have your work to do, but I kinda didn’t really do anything before.”

K.O. had to admit, his twin had a point. He hummed in thought, rubbing at his chin. Even Carol didn’t know what to say. It was Gar that spoke up. “Why not come work at the Bodega? I already have a cleaner, but I need someone to help Radicles in the back room. Those boxes can get heavy, and he tends to get lost in the far back when he doesn’t have someone with him.”

Neither Carol or K.O. expected T.K.O. to accept, but where rather surprised when the boy shrugged. “Yeah, why not? Keeps me close to this bozo.” He gestured to K.O. as he took another bite of his toast.

“Hey! I’m not a weirdo!” K.O. huffed, crossing his arms. He felt a glimmer of humor from the other, and grinned. He was joking with him. “Hey, T.K.O., have you noticed? We can share emotions easier now. I can share mine with you, and yours with me.” 

T.K.O. nodded at that. “Yeah, I noticed. It’s not at all like before though. I feel it through this.” He lifted his left arm, shaking it to make the chains jingle. 

K.O. felt a tug on his own as well. “You mean the chains from that deal we made? Yeah, I noticed that to.”

Carol and Gar shared a confused look before she spoke up. “What deal, boys?”

The boys each held up their left arms, showing off the purple and blue metal bands. They had their own faint glow to them. K.O. spoke up first. “You remember when Boxman junior attacked right, and I let T.K.O. out to fight him?”

The two adults nodded, and T.K.O. continued. “Well, I was having some… troubles… with that lil twerp. He started to pull out that corrupting electric stuff from that first Darrel and started to get the upper hand… That’s when this guy pulls me into our head and decides to make a deal.”

“He lets me use his power, and I get rid of the cage and give him something to hit. I made him a punching bag.” K.O. rubbed at the metal band, feeling power flowing through it between them. “That’s when these things appeared, linking us together. That was only temporary though… they vanished almost as soon as they formed. We didn’t see them again, even when we were both in the mind-space.”

T.K.O. grabbed the chain hanging loose from his cuff, giving it a tug and watching as K.O.’s responded. “And to top that off, even if they aren’t connected, I can tug my chain, and his jingles. It’s really weird.”

Carol hummed, stepping forward to touch the chain on T.K.O.’s arm. She jolted away when a spark arced between her finger and the metal. “Youch! Doesn’t look like anyone but you boys can touch them either…”

T.K.O. pulled his own arm away, cradling it as though scared he would lash out with it. “Are you ok?”

She smiled softly, giving the boy a kiss on the forehead. “Yes, hon, I’m fine. But let’s forget about all this intense stuff for now. We can talk more once we all get home. Right now? We’re all late.” She laughed softly as everyone began a mad dash to get ready. She wasn’t entirely wrong, if they didn’t hurry, they certainly would end up late. She used this tactic sometimes on K.O. if it got to close to their normal time to leave.

It always worked like a charm. 

They all arrived on time at the Plaza, Carol giving both boys kisses goodbye on their foreheads. K.O. giggled, but T.K.O. let out a grumble, blushing lightly as he tried to fake that he didn’t like the attention. They followed Gar towards the Bodega as Carol made her way to the Dojo.

K.O. walked in with his normal vigor, making his way to the supply closet as he hummed a cheery tune, followed by Gar as he showed T.K.O. to the back room. 

Once there, Gar fished through one of the near by boxes, pulling out a blue vest and offering it to the boy. “Here, T.K.O., your own official Bodega-man vest. You’re one of us now, son.”

He tried his best to feign indifference as he accepted the vest, slipping it on as he subtly admired it. “Not the best color. I rather purple, but this works, I guess.” He brushed his thumb over the fabric. He found it surprisingly soft, yet light and flexible. 

He glanced up at Gar when the man spoke again. “Yes, well, sadly that is the uniform color. I’ll get you a name tag soon as I have one made up.”

T.K.O. nodded, offering a toothy grin. “Sounds good, old man.” And with that, he made his way back to the front of house, leaving a blushing and sputtering Gar to try and fight the fact that he wasn’t that old.

As he stepped up to the front counter, he tilted his head slightly. At the sight of the two teens lounging at the front desk while K.O. cleaned. He approached the two, waving lazily. Rad grinned at him. “Yo, T! I didn’t expect you to… wait is that a Bodega vest??”

Enid sat up a bit. “Wait, seriously? You started to work here?” 

The boy huffed, crossing his arms before he responded. “So? What’s it to ya?”

She smirked. “Nothing, just fascinated that you’d join the ‘wage slaves.’ Hah!”

After a fair amount of grumbling and back and forth jabs between the three, they were all caught off guard by a round robot about the size of a grapefruit flying in through the Bodega’s door. It floated over to Enid, and produced a holo screen as it spoke in a level, automatic tone. “Hello, Enid Mettle! I am here to welcome you to P.O.I.N.T. Prep academy! You have been accepted into quite a prestigious school; you know. As such, we maintain constant punctuality! You have 5 minutes to make it to the bus stop, or be left behind… forever!”

All three at the counter jolted at the sudden news, Enid panicking as she suddenly began to pack a bag she had stored under the counter. “W-Whoa, hey! 5 minutes isn’t enough, man! You gotta give me time to pack, and say good bye to everyone!” 

The bot spoke again, displaying a ticking clock. “No time, no time! You must hurry!”

Enid bit her lip, looking at a sniffling Rad and a scared looking T.K.O., watching as K.O. came running from the back room. “Enid! T.K.O. told me, you can’t leave without saying bye!” He leapt, latching onto Enid as he sniffled, Rad jumping in for a hug as well. 

T.K.O. stayed back, wringing his hands in his shirt as he watched the long-time friends say their good byes. He didn’t want to interfere, but definitely didn’t want Enid to leave. He had just started to think life might be good at the Bodega, and now one of his friends was leaving? This sucked! He didn’t notice as the three disentangled themselves, but yelped slightly when he was scooped into a hug with Enid. 

She smiled softly, hugging T.K.O. a little tighter. “I’ll miss you to, you edge lord.” He clung to her, trying to hide his sniffles in her shirt. 

K.O. suddenly let out a yelp. “W-Wait, Enid! You can’t leave yet; I have a gift for you! Wait for me!” And with that he was off like a shot.

Enid wanted to wait, she really did, but the bot flew up behind her and nearly screamed in her ear. “30 seconds Enid! Go, go, go!”

She let out a yelp, giving the two friends remaining a sad wave. “I’m sorry guys… I’ll text you!” And with that, she was gone.

K.O. returned shortly afterwards, clutching a small wrapped box in his hands. He looked between the door and T.K.O., who gave him all the confirmation he needed with a sad look towards the floor. He let out a pathetic whine, clutching the box a little bit tighter. “N-No… I have to give this…to her… I have to…”

He sniffled, rubbing at his nose. It was then that T.K.O. did something unexpected. He floated into the air, flying over and grabbing K.O. by the back of his vest. “Come on, we’ll catch up to her! It’s just a bus, I’m sure I can catch up!”

K.O. grinned brightly at his twin before nodding. “Right, let’s go!”

T.K.O. zipped out the door, just in time to see the bus flying up quickly towards a swirling portal. “Cob! Hold on tight, K.O.! This could get rough!” He launched himself with a burst of purple energy towards the bus and the portal, slipping into it behind the bus just as it closed. 

The two boys winced as they entered, feeling their energy sparking from them both as T.K.O. did his best to land on the busses roof. Once their feet hit the metal, T.K.O. flopped back onto his rear, sighing heavily. “Make this quick, man… I don’t think this portal is built for people to ride outside of a big hunk of metal… and I don’t feel like going inside. I’ll rest out here…”

K.O. nodded, slipping down the side and sliding into the bus through an open window near the back. Seemed no one noticed him right away. That didn’t matter much, he wasn’t trying to be stealth. He ran up to Enid, catching her by surprise as he hugged her from behind. “ENID!”

“K.O.!! How’d you follow me? I thought we were in a warp or something!” She felt K.O. snuggle into her back for a moment before releasing her, landing on his feet as he held out a box for her. 

K.O. smiled softly. “It’s your gift! You forgot it…” 

She gently took it from him, unwrapping it and nearly crying when she saw a picture of her, K.O. and Rad together, eating ice cream on the beach. She hugged it close to her chest. “Oh, K.O. I love it…”

He smiled brightly, jumping slightly when he saw Sparko approach Enid from behind, peaking over her shoulder. “Whatcha got there, Enid?”

K.O.’s eyes went wide. “Oh. My. COB You’re Sparko!! A level three hero with really cool lightning powers! Oh, I’ve always wanted to meet you!” 

Sparko blushed brightly, the electricity forming his lower half dancing a bit as he tried to wave off the compliment and embarrassment. “Aah, I’m not that cool…”

K.O. was about to start nerding out as usual when an announcement came through the P.A. “Attention all P.O.I.N.T. Prep students! We will soon be entering hyper space!”

His eyes widened and he looked towards the roof of the bus. “Oh no, T.K.O.!” 

Enid jumped a bit. “Wait, he’s how you got here? He’s been outside the bus this whole time?! K.O. go back home! I don’t think hyper space is good for either of you! Go!” With a nod, K.O. gave the chain on his arm a swift tug to tell T.K.O. he was ready before leaping up to the nearest window. 

He glanced back at her. “Have fun at school, Enid! We’ll be rooting for you!” He leapt out the window, and a flash of purple caught him before he could go far. 

Sparko let out an impressed whistle. “Kid can really make an exit…!”

It took a while for T.K.O. to finally fly them both back to the Bodega, sighing and nearly collapsing once they made it back. He let out a groan. “Urgh… never… again… that portal junk made it REALLY hard to control my energy…”

K.O. rubbed the back of his head shyly. “Sorry, T.K.O., but… thank you. I appreciate you doing that for me…” With a deep blush, T.K.O. gave his twin a weak punch in the shoulder, earning a laugh from the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY P.O.I.N.T. COMES IN! Yush, time to change gears a bit! I'm going to take some from the show, but of course... things won't end the same with the school as before...~ ;)


	13. Change takes time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories don't fade after the damage is repaired, and T.K.O. finds out that his life at the Bodega won't have the smooth start he had hoped for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is entirely thanks to Brokenquartz2_0 and their comment on the last chapter. I wanted to get this out as a thank you for all your loving comments, but I'm afraid I didn't do it justice... I'm sorry! OTL It's short but I had a lot of fun with it. And look! No child torture! Hooray!

T.K.O. let out a grunt as he hoisted a box, carrying it to the building stack of other boxed products near the door leading from the storage room. He set it down, standing straight and feeling his back give a satisfying pop as he stretched. Rad always used his abilities to levitate the boxes from one place to the other, and while that was all well and good, he’d rather do it the old-fashioned way. 

He glanced over as he saw another box float over his head, setting down atop a pile. He may not be able to stack that high, but that also meant his small stacks wouldn’t fall nearly as easily. Oh, there was an idea…! He walked over to the tall stack before looking over towards the lounging alien. “Hey, Rad! Think fast!” He gave the stack a small shove, which was more than enough to send the top couple of boxes tumbling down towards the green alien.

Rad yelped, sending out his finger beams to catch the boxes mid air. He caught three, but a fourth smacked him square in the face. He groaned as he set down the boxes, glaring playfully over at T.K.O. “Hey you jerk, not cool!” He still couldn’t help a chuckle at the smug looking boy.

T.K.O. laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe don’t stack them so high, and these… ‘accidents ‘wouldn’t happen~.” He dodged a playful swat from the other before leaping up onto the boxes. He was light, so even with the added weight it didn’t throw anything off. “Ya missed~”

It quickly dissolved into a box throwing fight, T.K.O. picking small boxes and often hitting Rad square in the face, Rad using his power to throw larger, heavier ones that the boy found easy to dodge. He yawned, making sure Rad knew for sure that it was fake as he leaned against a shelf. “Yawn, Rad you’ve got terrible aim!”

“Oh, it is ON lil man!” He cast out a few beams, catching several boxes as he lifted them off of the floor. He grinned menacingly before launching them all at T.K.O., who let out a small yelp as he launched himself away from the shelf and into the air, sighing as the boxes crashed into the area he just stood.

He looked down at Rad, smirking again. “Still no good, ya nerd! Learn to throw!” He zipped through the air again, dodging more tossed boxes before he decided he’d be safer in the main section of the store. He zipped out through the doors, sticking his tongue out at Rad before the door shut again.

He snickered, landing on his feet as he padded over the cool tile, looking for a decent place to hide. He slipped into a lesser searched section, listening as Rad nearly busted the door down to get to the main area. “You lil’ brat, get back here! This isn’t over yet, I’ll get ya!” 

He had a hard time supressing his snickers, biting his lip as he stayed hidden. He jumped a little bit when he heard someone come up behind him.

“Hey kid, I’m looking bread, can you point me in the right direction?” As T.K.O. turned around, he spotted… a skeleton. This must be A Real Magical Skeleton. He remembered K.O. talking about him and the bear guy… What was his name? Brandon?

T.K.O. huffed a little. Not like it mattered. “What’cha want?”

He watched the lights in the skeleton’s eyes turn to pinpricks and heard the bones rattling. He was about to ask what the other was so shaken up about when he suddenly let out a high shriek. “Y-Y-You! Since when did Gar hire villains?! Get me outta here!” 

The boy winced a bit as he watched the skeleton run away. He looked down, rubbing at his arms as he suddenly felt cold. It didn’t take long for the commotion to draw the three other Bodega workers to the isle. K.O. spoke up first. “What happened? A.R.M.S. said there was a villain, are you ok, T.K.O.? Did you see something? Are you OK?”

He stayed quiet, not looking up as he shook his head.

Rad stepped forward, a box hovering behind him. “He’s just mad I can finally get him with a—ow!” As Rad set a hand on T.K.O.’s head, he jolted back when a purple spark shocked his hand. He pouted, rubbing his hand a bit. 

The boy spun around, looking at Rad fearfully. He gritted his teeth before shoving past K.O. and straight out the front door of the Bodega. 

K.O. ran to try and catch up, but by the time he made it outside, he couldn’t even feel T.K.O. in the area. He sighed, looking down at the chain on his arm. Maybe he could… He grabbed a hold of the loose chain, giving it a small tug. He felt strain on the other end, but no responding tug. Either the other wasn’t paying attention, or was trying to ignore him.

He closed his eyes, focusing on their connection as he tried to ask what happened. He was met instead with a solid wall keeping him out. He opened his eyes again and let out a loud, frustrated groan. If he was going to get answers, he needed to figure out what just happened. “Magic Skeleton was yelling something about a villain… maybe I can go ask him? He might now!”

He ran off towards the Iframe outlet, stepping through the front doors and spotting A.R.M.S. talking to Brandon as the bear lounged on the counter. 

“I’m telling you man; you remember that villain kid from a while back that totally wrecked the plaza? I saw him! Today!” The skeleton threw his arms in the air. “I don’t get it! I thought it was a worker but I’m sure it was that kid!”

Brandon laughed, shaking his head. “No way, dude. It can’t be! Everyone knows that kid was just that K.O.’s kids evil alter ego. And K.O.’s right behind you, so you can’t have seen the other guy.”

A.R.M.S. squeaked, nearly jumping out of his cape as he spun around to see K.O., who looked decidedly frustrated. “He isn’t a villain. That’s T.K.O., and he’s a hero. Just like us!”

The Skeleton shook his head. “Sorry to break it to ya, kid, but when someone destroys the ENTIRE Plaza single handed, they’re usually a villain. And that kid took it down faster than anyone one else yet! I bet he’s like, level -8 or something!”

K.O. let out a small, warning growl, which got the skeleton to pause. “He’s a good guy now. And he’s not my alter ego or anything like that. He’s real, and he has feelings… and I think you hurt them, R.M.S., because he ran off…”

Brandon came forward and setting a hand on the skeletons shoulder before speaking. “Yo, Magi, he might have a point. Kids not usually one to lie. He’s helped us out a lot, remember?”

A.R.M.S. grumbled softly before sighing. “OK, yeah. I used to get people who’d call me a future villain when I was younger just cause I’m a skeleton, so I guess I know a lil about being on the receiving end…” He nodded. “Alright, kid. Can we help look for your friend?”

The boy smiled brightly, clapping his hands together. “Of course! I think I might know where he is already, so you guys can come along! That way A.R.M.S. can apologize!” 

That earned a small huff from the skeleton, but a nod as well. “Yeah, alright, I’ll say sorry… so, where is he…?” 

K.O. closed his eyes, focusing on his connection to the other as he gently gave the chain a small tug. He could feel a little bit more of an impression on where the other was, so he must have at least calmed down now. “He’s actually hiding behind the Plaza, I think. He’ll probably be a little angry I’m using this to find him, though.”

And with that, the boy led the two Iframe workers to the location T.K.O. should have been. Of course, he was nowhere in sight. K.O. sighed, looking to A.R.M.S. “You might have to just yell a little. He’s here, and I know he can hear us. But I don’t think he’ll come out. I think he’s worried about scaring you.” There was a jingling from the chain on K.O.’s wrist and the boy laughed softly. “Hit the nail on the head, huh?” Another jingle and a small feeling of frustration through the link confirmed it.

The magic Skeleton took a deep breath before he finally spoke. “Hey, man. Your name is T.K.O., right?” A nod from K.O. confirmed that. “Listen, I’m sorry I called you a villain in there. But you really can’t blame me, right? Last time I saw you out, you demolished us! You’re way super strong… so I panicked. I’m not strong. I mean, sure, I can do magic and junk. “For emphasis he held out his gloved hands, two small purple flames bursting to life over his palms. 

“But I’m really not all that strong. I mean, I’m a level 2! Barely anything worth mentioning considering how long I’ve called myself a hero. It’s why whenever the alarm goes off, I come running with my phone to film it… I actually have a video from when you attacked…” The flames went out, and he pulled out his phone. “You looked so mad. Like you wanted to take out everyone! When I found out you were K.O., or well, at least a part of him I guess, I was even scared of him for a while!” 

K.O. pouted, looking visibly distraught at the thought of that. A.R.M.S. laughed nervously, patting K.O. on the head. “But I figured it out pretty quick that he’s just a really good kid. So… I guess what I want to say is, I want to give you a second chance and get to know you, if you’ll give me a second chance to…”

There were a few beats of silence, and all three thought that the conversation may have landed on deaf ears. That is, until they heard a voice from the rooftops. “You… really mean all that?” It was T.K.O., poking his head over the edge to look down at the three. 

A.R.M.S. nodded, grinning widely. Though it was a bit hard to tell his expression when he was a living skeleton. “Yeah, man! Come down here, I won’t freak out. I meant what I said, I wanna get to know you better!” 

There was a pause before the boy on the roof nodded, standing up and floating gently down to land beside K.O., who smiled gently, patting him on his arm. T.K.O. smiled nervously as he gripped his shirt. He still wasn’t good with people he didn’t count among his circle of friends. He looked at the Skeleton. “You know, you’re pretty cool, to… Skeletons are awesome…”

That earned blush from the hero in question, rubbing the back of his head as Brandon gave him a nudge and a wink. He blushed a bit brighter, giving his friend a playful swat on the arm. It didn’t take long for them all to fall into a pleasant conversation.

T.K.O. smiled, happy again now that things had been cleared up. Of course, The Skeleton wasn’t entirely wrong… He had by all means been a villain… but now, he was able to do his best to be a hero. He didn’t want to be what the Shadowy Figure and that Shadow guy told him he was. 

He was going to be his own person now!


	14. Who's ready to play!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some bad choices lead Rad and T.K.O. into a sports game to remember.

It was a quiet day at the Bodega, T.K.O. working alone in the back since Rad had taken front of house in Enid’s place. After the incident with A.R.M.S. the other day, all of the Bodega men agreed that it would take more time before everyone else at the Plaza would be ok seeing T.K.O. working there. 

And K.O. was somehow to cheery to take care of the customers, always chatting with one until there was a lineup formed outside the Bodega doors. He nearly dropped everything to help out a costumer that was having a bit of a bad day. This happened four times before Rad begrudgingly took charge of the front cash.

It was after a particularly slow day that Rad and T.K.O. ended up hanging around the Bodega after work. The two had started to spend time with Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer, who had taken well to the boy when they realized that he was the one who destroyed the Plaza. They realized quickly that it was never hard to get T.K.O. to do some crazy stunt, and it never seemed to damage the boy.

Today, the challenge was a rather extreme version of chicken. T.K.O. floated in the air just over Rad’s shoulder, listening as Mega Football Baby went over the rules for their little contest. “Right! So, here’s how it goes. I got my mom to buy a whole bunch of Fireworks from the Bodega today- “

Rad interrupted. “Oh yeah! I rang her through man, she had like, five bags of fireworks!”

“I know, right? So! I brought my skateboard and Bell brought his, so we’re gonna tape a whole bunch of those rockets to the boards, and launch at each other! Me on Bell’s shoulders, and Lil’ T on Rad’s!”

T.K.O. laughed, floating over to sit on Rad’s shoulder. “Sounds fun! But how bout we spice it up a lil, eh boys?”

All three looked at T.K.O., knowing whatever he pitched would definitely make it interesting. “How bout we Start with some ramps? Rad, if you would?”

Rad grinned devilishly, holding out his hands as he used his abilities to form two tangible purple ramps. “These good, bro?”

T.K.O. shook his head. “Nah, bigger. You got this Rad!” The alien nodded, squinting a bit as he focused on the two ramps, making them as big as he could manage while still keeping them solid. 

Mega Football Baby and Bell Beefer were practically bouncing with joy at the prospect of their latest adventure into insanity, both boys running to their ramp quickly with their tricked-out board as T.K.O. and Rad went to theirs. 

It didn’t take long for both teams to be ready, T.K.O. holding onto Rad’s head as he laughed. “Oh, this is boing to be wicked!” He let a couple of sparks dance on his finger tips, ready to light the fuse behind them to set their board on their rocket powered trip to pain town.

Upon the signal from the other team, T.K.O. shot a spark at the fuse, and it quickly began to burn. It didn’t take long for the fuses on both boards to burn down, and before either team could even properly prepare themselves for what was sure to be a horrible outcome, they both blasted towards each other at nearly break-neck speeds.

It was over faster than it took any of them to cook up this hair brained scheme. Once the dust settled, Rad and T.K.O. were left with… a surprisingly small amount of scratches, but poor Bell Beefer and Mega Football Baby were knocked out at the edge of the forest, having faceplanted directly into a tree. 

Rad winced a little in sympathy. “Oof, that had to hurt… Should we go check on them?”

T.K.O. hovered near by, cringing slightly. “Err, I don’t wanna get in trouble. Maybe just… I dunno, call someone to come get em and pretend we weren’t here?”

Rad nodded. “Deal.” And both boys ran off quickly. They knew the two boys were at least alive, and to avoid a whole bunch of trouble, they were not inclined to stick around. 

They went to work the next day, doing their best to pretend last night had never happened. It was more difficult for T.K.O. with K.O. constantly probing him both in person and over their link, but he had still managed not to let anything slip. 

When Gar came in and reported that Bell Beefer and Mega Football Baby were bedridden due to… a strange and unexplained reason, Rad and T.K.O. had an even harder time staying quiet. 

K.O. let out a loud whine. “What? Nooo! They were supposed to compete in the Mega Football game today…! We’re gonna have to forfeit the game…!”

Rad leapt forward, holding up his hand. “We’ll take their places!!”

Gar gave him a curious look. “We? I can’t participate, and K.O. already took on practically every job to do with the game, and even some I didn’t think were a thing!”

T.K.O. had a feeling he knew where this was going… his suspicions were confirmed when Rad set a hand on his fluffy hair. “Me and T, of course! We’ll win the cup for Lakewood Plaza Turbo!” Rad grinned down at T.K.O., and saw he was about to say no. Rad leaned in, pulling the boy into a headlock as he whispered into his ear. “Our fault, we fix it. Either you’re on board, or I tell K.O. your lil… secret~”

The Turbo boys’ eyes widened and he squeaked quietly before putting on a forced grin. “Y-Yeah! Playing Mega Football sounds like fun! Ha-ha…”

Rad grinned a bit wider, laughing as genuinely as he could. It was clear the other two present were at least slightly suspicious, but Gar hefted a sigh. “It’s not like we have all that many options. Alright boys, be ready by two o-clock for the game. And don’t be late!”

With that, he dismissed the three boys, K.O. returning to his cleaning to leave Rad and T.K.O. alone. Once everyone else was gone, T.K.O. glared daggers at Rad. “I thought you promised you’d NEVER mention that again!”

Rad offered up a devilish grin. “Oh, come on T, I think it’s kind of cute! How you love—”

T.K.O. gave him a punch to the gut that was enough to have rad Double over, laughing through the tears and pain. “Oof! Good hit, lil bud…”

The boy growled angrily, stomping off towards the back room in a huff. Once there, he decided that since he was being roped into this, he may as well look up what he can about the game he was being forced to play. 

After watching a few games, and looking into the rules, he came to realise this game might actually be pretty fun! He had only realised how long he’d been watching games when Rad came rushing into the back room. “T! We gotta go, or we’ll be late for the game! Come on!” 

Soon, T.K.O. and Rad sat on benches just outside of the Mega Football playing field, and T.K.O. HATED it. He hadn’t realized there would be so many…PEOPLE here, all yelling and making such a racket… He covered his ears, gritting his teeth as he did his best to drown out all the noise. 

Rad glanced over at T.K.O., and was shocked to see the boy shaking like a leaf, the black marks on his arms up towards his shoulders. Rad tried calling his name, and when that got no response, he gently laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder. 

T.K.O. jolted when he felt a hand on his shoulder, spinning around ready to throw a punch if needed. When he saw Rad looking at him worriedly, he sighed, lowering his fist as he gripped his shirt. “S-Sorry, Rad…”

The alien shook his head, gently rubbing the boys back. “It’s alright, bro, don’t worry about it… are you ok though? You seem really shaken…”

The boy took a deep breath before gesturing behind himself towards the crowd. “I didn’t know… there’d be so many people, or that they’d be so…loud…”

Rad glanced back at the crowd before returning his attention to T.K.O. “Try not to think about em, T. Once we get on the field, you’ll have way more to focus on than them. In the mean time, focus on me, alright? I’m right here.”

T.K.O. sniffed a bit, then practically latched onto Rad, his arms wrapping around the alien’s mid section as he did his best to focus on his breathing. He felt Rad begin to gently pet his hair, and relaxed a bit more. After a few minutes of this, the boy was able to pull away from Rad, who was smiling down at him.

“Better?”

He nodded. “Better.” He glanced over to the opposing team, who were just moving to sit on the benches. “So, who are we going against anyway, Rad?”

The alien shook his head, but it was then that both boys spotted a familiar looking purple hair do on the other team. T.K.O. sprung off of the bench, floating just above Rad’s head as he squinted to see a bit better. Rad did the same, and when they both realised who it was, they realised that the other had spotted them as well. They grinned widely when the purple haired person approached across the field. 

It was Enid! 

Before he got pulled into a hug, he grabbed the chain dangling off of his wrist, giving it a tug to get K.O.’s attention, and another tug to show he needed him to come. If he didn’t tell him that Enid was here, then K.O. would never let him live it down. 

Enid laughed, pulling both Rad and T.K.O. into a bear hug, nearly squeezing the life out of them both before releasing them. Rad crossed his arms over his chest upon noticing that Enid was dressed in Mega Football gear. “Hey, since where do you play?”

Enid shrugged a bit. “Since about five minutes ago, I guess. I got roped into it after an… unfortunate injury to one of our teammates. What about you two monkeys?”

T.K.O. floated over and landed on Enid’s shoulder, gesturing at Rad. “This dumbbell roped me into this.”

Rad huffed, indignant. “Yeah, well you’re the main reason that Mega Football baby and Bell Beefer can’t play anyway!”

Enid laughed, pulling them both into another crushing hug. “Oh, I missed you two meat heads… But where’s K.O.? Is he not with you both?”

T.K.O. felt a small tug at the cuff on his wrist, and grinned, pulling himself out of the hug and floating into the air just above their heads. “Don’t worry about K.O., he’ll be along aaaaaany second now…” 

The two teens looked up at the boy, confusion evident on their faces as he held up his hand. Three fingers held up. “Three…” He put one down. 

Enid and Rad glanced at each other, a pit forming in their stomachs. With the two boys separate, they always got up to these shenanigans. One would know when the other was coming, but they never explained how they did it. Rad took a step away from Enid, looking around almost nervously. 

T.K.O. cackled at the sight of the two. “Two…”

He glanced up as he saw K.O. up on the levitating announcer booth, and the two boys shared a quick nod. “One!”

And with that, K.O. leapt off of the booth and fell directly towards the small group. “EEEEEENIIIIIIIIIID!” 

The ninja teen whipped around in time to see K.O. falling towards her, but didn’t have time to process how this situation came to pass before he was on top of her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and bowling her over as he hugged her tight. 

Once she regained her breath, footing having been lost upon impact, she hugged the boy tight while they lay on the grass, laughing as she gave him a playful noogie. “You psycho! Where did you even come from?” 

K.O. pointed up towards the announcer booth after he disentangled himself from Enid. “Up there! I’m the announcer for the game! I’m the cheerleader, and water boy, and head coach, and senior coach, and referee to!” 

T.K.O. floated over K.O.’s head, giving the other a light fist to the top of the boys head, who only laughed at the affectionate hit. “I still say you took on too many jobs. If you hadn’t, you’d be the one playing instead of me.”

K.O. grinned up at his twin. “Yeah, but we have a better chance of winning with you and Rad playing! I’ve never been good at this kind of thing, to many people get hurt!”

Rad shook his head. “K.O., you’re way t nice sometimes. It’s why you can’t work cash! The other day, I caught you basically giving a therapy session to someone because their coffee didn’t have enough sugar in it!”

The boy let out a pathetic whimper. “But, But Rad… It made them really sad!”

“The dude was coming in to buy some sugar, he had it handled!” 

Enid laughed as the two dissolved into a playful argument about weather or not a spoon of sugar would be the end of the world. She had missed all three of these doofuses since she left for P.O.I.N.T. prep. She couldn’t wait to be able to come back to Lakewood Plaza in the summer once her semester was done. She glanced up towards the game countdown clock, and yelped a bit. They only had a minute! She turned to her friends. 

“Guys, we got a problem! We only have a minute before game time!” All three of the boys turned to look at the clock, K.O. letting out a squeak. “I have to get back up there!” 

T.K.O. flew behind the boy, wrapping his arms around the others waist. “I gotcha. Enid, you get to your side! We can see each other after we win the game!” And with that, T.K.O. flew up to the announcer stand to drop K.O. off. 

Rad looked to Enid, holding his hand up. “See ya after the game, Enid. Try not to make it to easy for us!”

Enid grinned, giving Rad a high five before turning to run to her side of the field. “Hah! We’ll see who takes home the cup!”

When Enid made it back over to her side, she was greeted by Sparko, whining at her with a rather effective puppy dog pout. “Awe, man! No fair! You got to go say hi to your buds… looks like you had a blast over there, to! Why didn’t ya invite me, Enid? Us Lakewood’s gotta stick together!”

Enid laughed softly, gently patting Sparko’s back. “Don’t worry, dude. You can come say hi after the game. Maybe we’ll sneak off after and get some lightning Nachos over at the Bodega?” 

Sparko zipped into the air, whooping happily as he practically flew in circles. “You got a deal, girl! Wahoo! Oh MAN I’ve missed those nachos!” He zipped back down to ground level just as the horn blew to call all players to the field. 

Enid looked over to Sparko as she stepped onto the playing field. “Let’s do this, Sparko! We’ll get the Bodega to treat us for winning!”

The two teams of three met in center field, and K.O.’s voice boomed out through the speakers. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to Lakewood Plaza Turbo’s own Mega football field! Today we have an intense matchup! On the visitors’ side, we have P.O.I.N.T. prep academy! But this isn’t the normal team we face, oh no folks! Today we see two of our very own on the opposite side of the field!”

“From P.O.I.N.T. prep we have Pheobe! A long time Mega footballer from the school, she’s always been a power house on the field! She’s always taken charge for her team, lets see how well she leads them this time, huh folks!”

“Next, we have Sparko! An incredible hero we’ve all seen around the Plaza, a kind level three who’s always willing to light up your life!”

Enid snickered as she saw Sparko hide his blushing face in his hands. It wasn’t long before K.O. had her in the same position though.

“Last for P.O.I.N.T. prep, one of their newest members, your friend and mine, it’s the level 3 ninja hero Enid! She may act cold, but she has one of the biggest hearts you’ll ever find!”

Enid yelled up to K.O., but he couldn’t hear over the cheering crowd around him. “And on the home team, we find two of our own new faces! First, we see on the field, someone who has gone from good girl to bad, is the level two hero Glitter starlight! She started her career as a magical girl, but strove to forge her own identity in the bad girl scene! Whoa!” He barely managed to dodge a baseball bat as it flew past his head. He glanced down to see a rather angry looking Glitter Starlight with T.K.O. and Rad laughing next to her.

“Oops, looks like I’ve talked enough about Glitter. Next, to introduce an alien we all know, Radicles! This level 2 hero has a heart of gold, and can always pick you up, especially with his super cool laser beams!”

Rad let out a pathetic whine, and while normally T.K.O. would laugh hysterically at everyone on the field’s misery, he knew he was next. He glared daggers up at the announcer podium in a failed attempt to get K.O. to not say anything.

And of course, K.O. didn’t even see the look, but could feel the others frustration clearly through the link. He definitely couldn’t pass up this chance though! “And last, but certainly not least, a future hero after my own heart… in some ways more literally than normal, is T.K.O.!! He tries his best to act tough and angry, but he’d drop everything to make sure his friends are alright! He’s a big fluffy puppy in an angry spikey shell!” He laughed as he dodged a few blasts of purple, the crowd laughing along with him. 

“And now that introductions are done… I think it’s time we get the game started!! Players, are you ready…?” He held his hand over the button that would set the game in motion. “Set…Play ball!” He slammed down on the button, and thus the game began in earnest. 

T.K.O. had watched the mega football games online, but he definitely didn’t expect all the obstacles and hazards to be so… huge! He didn’t even have time to worry about all the embarrassing things K.O. had said as the game started in full, and of all the players on the field, the one that he was most concerned with was the Pheobe girl. She was big, strong and crazy fast. 

It was tough to keep up with her, but T.K.O. eventually managed to get back the ball, passing it to Rad who got it far enough for Glitter Starlight to land a goal. He didn’t even have time to worry about the crowds or even K.O. announcing. He was focused on the game and the role he needed to play. Maybe he should pursue sports after this? 

The game kept going, neither team gaining any further ground than Lakewood’s first goal. 

In the stands, Doctor Greyman sat with Chip damage, watching the game with rapt attention. “This is such a tense game, isn’t it, Chip my boy? Kind of makes you wish we could take this into our own hands…”

Chip Damage scanned over the field, looking between each of the P.O.I.N.T. students. His gaze settled on Sparko. “Yes, I agree professor…” His eyes narrowed a bit as they began to glow purple. It was time to win this game.

In that exact moment, T.K.O. froze in place, looking towards the away team bleachers. He had to be imagining it… but he thought he felt a spark of Turbo energy coming from the crowd. He didn’t have time to try and pinpoint the culprit though as he heard a pained cry from somewhere on the field. 

He ran towards it, finding Enid kneeling over Sparko as he writhed on the ground, clutching at his chest as he cried out in pain. T.K.O. charged forward, pushing Enid away as he saw Sparko’s normally yellow electricity flicker purple for a moment. Enid was about to snap at him, but the boy looked pail as a ghost. “Go, it isn’t safe, get out of here! Everyone else to, go! GO!” 

He knelt down next to Sparko, reaching out to grab his shoulder. “Hey, hey! Come on, snap out of it! What’s happening!” He gritted his teeth as he felt electricity spark between them, and it wasn’t Sparko’s normal yellow anymore. 

T.K.O. pulled his hand back and leapt away, growling at the other as he slowly lifted himself off the ground, laughing in a voice not entirely his own. Sparko glared at T.K.O., his goggles glowing purple as a similarly colored energy danced about him. “Ha-ha… so much power… I feel GREAT!” 

“I know this… you’ve gone Turbo! Tell me how, tell me how you have this power!” T.K.O. felt the black marks crawl over his skin, spreading from his chest and up his arms. It wouldn’t be long till it took over, and he didn’t know if he’d lose himself to it when he did. He had to hold out and take Sparko down a notch quickly. He crouched, ready for a fight. 

Sparko cackled, and charged at the boy facing him down, elbowing T.K.O. in the ribs and sending him crashing into a near-by obstacle. He gave the boy no time to recover though, shooting after him and pinning him in the crater the impact had created. 

T.K.O. grunted, doing his best to break free as he was pinned. He glared at Sparko, though his vision was a bit hazy from the impact. Sparko looked more like a shadow than before. His eyes widened though when he heard the distorted voice and felt ice crawling through him from where Sparko had him pinned. “Hello, my pet…Are you surprised? Yessss… this was not my plan, to show myself to you in such a manner… but you have been avoiding me, correct…? How am I supposed to guide my little puppies when they won’t come when I call…!” At the end of the Shadow’s speech, he landed a hard hit to T.K.O.’s already sore stomach. 

The boy let out a pained cry, slumping forward as he did his best to stay conscious. He reached out a shaky hand, resting it over the Shadow Sparko’s chest. “I-I ain’t no one’s pet… and I won’t… let you mess with anyone else…!” He glanced over Shadow Sparko’s shoulder in time to see K.O. running forward. They shared a quick nod, and K.O. practically latched on to the electric heroes back.

K.O. winced when he felt the energy that Shadow Sparko was giving off, and with the two of them together, they started a gamble that they knew could end horribly. They both focused, and began to draw the familiar Turbo energy out of the hero between them. Both were slightly surprised to see the purple color fading and the shadows receding from Sparko, who seemed to be getting weaker quickly.

Foxtail, who hadn’t started evacuating with the rest of the people, stared wide eyed at the two boys fighting Sparko. She could feel it even from here. They had Turbo energy, but the one pinned was a surplus of it! She felt like she could recognize the boy, but there was something she couldn’t place…

Chip damage let out a small growl as people began to push and shove in an attempt to escape the stands. This was an unexpected outcome than projected. He’d have to look into this. For now though… He cut off the control he had over the energy in Sparko, turning away from the scene as he evacuated with the rest.

T.K.O. and K.O. both jumped a bit when the power that fed Sparko seemed to vanish suddenly, and all three collapsed into a heap in the field. Sparko was unconscious, and the two boys weren’t far behind. Both were nearly entirely black from absorbing the Turbo energy, but they still managed to smile at each other. K.O. laughed softly. “I knew… you were a hero…”

T.K.O. tried to complain, but coughed instead, wincing as he felt liquid bubble up his throat. He coughed into his hand to clear it, letting out a soft groan as he saw flecks of blood in his palm. He showed K.O., knowing he wouldn’t be able to hide it from his twin anyway. “Looks like he did a number to me…”

K.O. slowly started to push himself up, but it didn’t seem to be working. “Teeks, I’m all numb…”

They laughed softly to each other. They really were a wreck. They were surprised when they heard a soft, tired groan from Sparko, who was under K.O. “Oof, I feel like I got hit with a freight train…”

“Might as well have… though you do hit like one.” T.K.O. looked him over quickly. Good, no more Turbo energy… “You’re Sparko, yeah…? Where’d you get that power…?”

The electric hero gave a small shrug, managing to push himself up and help the two boys to at least stand. “I don’t know, we were playing, and then I just felt cold and hot, all at once… Y’know what I mean?”

T.K.O. nodded. “Better than you think. Let’s get patched up first though… I think you broke a rib or something…” 

The three tried to help each other forward, but none had the energy. It was then that Rad and Enid showed up. Rad was panting. “W-We cleared the bleachers! Sorry we had to ditch you guys, we would have stayed, but…”

Enid shook her head. “T.K.O. didn’t want me close anyway… at least let us help you guys to the benches and get you guys patched.”

None of the three could argue, so Rad used his finger beams to carry Sparko and T.K.O., while Enid carried K.O. herself. It didn’t take long to make it to the benches and a medical hero standing to the side ready to help. After checking up all three, they learned the one suffering the worst injury was T.K.O., who had some mild internal bleeding and a bruised rib. After getting patched up the five sat together, resting as they looked over the empty bleachers.

Sparko looked at his gloved hand. “I’m sorry, guys… I dunno what came over me…”

T.K.O. looked over at him. “Don’t sweat it, it wasn’t you. It was Turbo energy. K.O. and I are familiar with it… when there’s to much, you go crazy… you don’t always have control, especially if you’re not good with it…”

Enid struck her open palm with a fist. “Ah! That’s why you sent me off… you didn’t want me involved with Turbo energy! That makes sense… but it’s still crazy you goof! You should have asked for back up!”

The Turbo boy grinned. “I had back up… K.O. had my back.”

K.O. grinned wide. “Well, I hade Sparko’s back if we’re being literal.”

As usual, K.O. was good at lightening the mood, and the group shared a laugh. Enid smiled, pointing towards the Bodega. “Why don’t we go have those lightening Nachos I promised Sparko. I think we could all use a bite to eat.”

And so, the five did just that, enjoying each others company as well as the nachos. And maybe some complimentary soda as well.


	15. Dream team!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peek into the happenings of P.O.I.N.T. prep lead to some new alliances, and some shocking discoveries.

After returning, albeit begrudgingly, to P.O.I.N.T. prep academy, both Sparko and Enid were anxious about what had happened at the mega football game the other day. The two spent more time together, Enid helping Sparko recover a little of his former spark since he had seemed so down after the incident. 

They sat in the field, avoiding the crowded café for lunch. After what happened, people were constantly clambering to get Enid or Sparko to tell the story, everyone knowing that Sparko was ground zero for what happened, and that Enid had stayed behind after evacuation. What unsettled them both was how Foxtail and Chip damage seemed to be hanging around them more often, checking in on them and asking them odd questions. 

Today was no exception. Foxtail had found them sitting together in the field and approached them. “Hello, students! Why aren’t you with your school mates in the café?”

Enid glanced over at Sparko, who seemed to be avoiding the gaze of the head of Strength house, though it was a little hard to tell with those bright yellow goggles he always wore. “Well, miss Foxtail, we just wanted some air. It’s been so stuffy in there; no ones been giving us any space lately.”

The teacher nodded, crossing her arms. “Aah, yes. The whole campus has been in a buzz since the game. That is actually what I came to talk to you kids about. And I won’t take no for an answer.” The pointed stare that accompanied that last statement made Enid sure there really was no escaping this until Foxtail heard what she wanted.

Enid gulped a bit. “Well, what do you want to know? Sparko doesn’t remember much, and I was helping evacuate everyone…”

Foxtail shook her head. “No, I know that. Even us teachers heard about that part by now. No, what I’m most curious about is the two young boys that stopped Sparko… And you seemed to be rather familiar with them both, Enid.”

The ninja felt a block of ice form in her stomach. “What do you want to know about them?” She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like telling Foxtail more about her two friends would not end well for them.

“I want to know how they were able to stand up to Sparko, given he seemed to be rather… not himself at the time.” Foxtail spoke in a matter of fact manner about the incident, and Enid felt rage simmer deep inside her. If she knew that much detail on the fight, that means she stayed and watched. That means such a strong hero let her two friends fight and get hurt. She swallowed her frustration, doing her best to maintain as lax an exterior as she was able. 

“Well, miss Foxtail, it- “Enid was cut off by Sparko as he suddenly seemed to have a bad case of verbal diarrhea. 

“They said they had the same power that I had at the time. Called it Turbo or something like that. They said something about taking the extra out of me…” He looked up at Foxtail, clutching his arms. “Miss Foxtail, did what happen to me have something to do with the special c- “ 

He was silenced by a cold glare from the teacher standing over them, now suddenly feeling twice her size. Even Enid felt smaller. “Turbo, you say? Interesting. Well, I should arrange to thank them for saving my students. What are their names?”

Before Enid could tell Sparko to zip it, he blurted out. “K.O. and T.K.O. if I remember. Enid knows their last names I think.”

Enid could have knocked Sparko’s lights out! She glanced up at Foxtail, who was now clearly waiting for the answer. She couldn’t lie, of course. Foxtail would figure it out eventually anyway. “Kincaid. K.O. is his nickname though. His name is Kaio. I know, sounds the same right?”

She blinked a bit. Enid almost missed it, but she was sure she caught a look of surprise on Foxtail’s face at the mention of the last name. Now why would that be…? “Is something wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost…”

Foxtail turned away from them, making her way back towards the main building. “No, no. Don’t worry. I’m just going to prepare to give those boys a proper thank you…”

And with that, Sparko and Enid were once again alone in the field. Enid glared sharply at Sparko, who shrank away a bit. “What were you thinking?! I was trying to AVOID spreading the boys’ names around the campus, and you go and tell a head teacher!?”

Sparko covered his head a bit, fearing a punch from the irate ninja. “S-Sorry! But Foxtail, she and Chip, they’re—Oh I can’t say, I’d get in SO much trouble, man…”

Enid sighed, softening her stance a bit. “Relax, Sparko, I’m not going to hit you. But as pay for spilling the beans to Foxtail, you have to tell me something. What were you going to say before she gave you a death glare?”

Sparko let out a whine. “Enid, do I have to? If they find out I’ll get in SO much trouble…”

A glare was all the answer Sparko needed to know that was a yes. He sighed. “Me and a couple of other students… including your friend Elodie…we’re part of the special class, basically. We have these secret meetings, and Chip damage gives us these… round orbs that are supposed to give us a boost. I’ve never felt like that before… like something was controlling me…”

Enid felt the ice return to her as she bit her lip. She held up her hands, the space between them the size of a grapefruit. “Bluish green, about this big, really shiny, and kind of squishy, yeah?” At the nod from Sparko, she wilted. “Oh no, not Glorbs again…! I’m getting REALLY tired of those things…”

Sparko gave her a curious look. “You know about those things? The teachers said it was a P.O.I.N.T. prep secret, how do you know about them?”

She groaned loudly, sinking down to the ground. “Let’s just say that if this school is involved with them, those boys that saved your sparkly behind are going to get involved to, and if that happens, they could be in serious danger.”

She glanced over to Sparko, who was giving her a ‘go on’ gesture. She let out another groan. “Well, you seen that black stuff covering them, right? How sometimes there’s more of it and sometimes there’s less? Well, from what we’ve learned, that stuff is sort of like… I guess Turbo corruption? It’s like scars I guess from when K.O. took a direct hit from Turbo energy to save Rad and I…” She looked up to watch the clouds drift lazily overhead, as though there was nothing in the world to cause such stress and anxiety as was in her right now.

“At first, it just seemed like they were burns, but then they started to change… K.O.’s been a bit more defensive since then, and he’s jumpy… and now we have T.K.O. who didn’t even exist like a year ago… And if they get dragged into something with P.O.I.N.T. and Glorbs, I’m worried they’ll try and do it alone, and we’ll never get them back… they’re like little brothers to me…”

Sparko hummed in thought, laying beside Enid as he stared up at the passing clouds. “Those two kids are tough, you know… and as long as we stick with em, I think it’ll turn out alright… But we may want to warm em to avoid the school and Foxtail…”

Enid nodded, grinning at Sparko. “So, are you in then? Gonna be part of our little band of rebel heroes?”

He lifted off the ground, seeming more eager and energized then he had in days. “Heck yeah! Sounds like way more fun than going through that Turbo stuff again!” He pumped the air with his fist. “Let’s do this!” 

She laughed, nodding. “Yeah, let’s do it!”

The two had decided that Sparko would continue to go to the special meetings at night, working as a mole to gather more info when he could. Enid, meanwhile, was to lay low and keep her head down while she tried to figure out what the regular student body knew. 

She sat in her room later that night, lounging on her bed as she stared at the ceiling. 

Elodie stepped into the room, sighing as she placed her satchel down. “Oh, Enid. You’re back early.” When she got no response, she looked over to the ninja. “Enid? Are you quite alright? You seem rather preoccupied.”

Enid jumped a little before looking over to the girl in pink. She smiled a little tiredly. “Elodie, hey. Sorry about that… I’ve got a lot on my mind…”

She sat down on her bed opposite Enid as she titled her head. “Techno for your thoughts?”

The ninja snickered before she sat up, giggling a bit. “Yeah, ok… Elodie, can you keep a secret? Well, I guess you can what with that secret club you’re in.”

Her eyes widened and she squeaked a bit. “S-Secret club? H-Ha-ha what are you talking about, dear Enid, ha-ha…”

Enid sighed, shaking her head. “No use lying, I already know. I’ll tell you how if you promise to at least keep my secrets.”

She squirmed a bit on her bed, gripping her skirt before she sighed, her tense shoulders relaxing. “Alright, Enid… I concede. Yes, you are right. And I promise to keep your secrets. It’s what friends do, after all.”

They smiled at each other, Enid getting up to give Elodie a hug, then sitting next to her on the pink bedding. She then explained what had happened at the mega Football game, which Elodie was thankful to have finally learned about, and was shocked to hear about the two boys that saved Sparko. 

Elodie looked towards the window in their shared dorm room once Enid had caught Elodie up. She gave a small sigh. “I thought something was odd, the way the teachers had the ‘star students’ sneaking around after dark…” She smiled, pulling Enid into a half hug. “Well, count me in on this party! I’ll help you two to protect them. I’ve met K.O. once I believe, when I last visited Lakewood. He was such a sweet heart~”

Enid laughed at that, nodding. “Yeah, he has a habit of making everyone love him. Even T.K.O. has the same surprising habit. He’s prickly, but in a cute way.”

“Oh, tell me ALL about him. I love the cute bad-boys~” And so Enid and Elodie fell into having a rather nice girls’ night, Elodie ordering pizza with the agreement that whoever lost the game of truth or dare would need to pay. It was inevitably Enid of course. 

When a slot opened in the wall and a small robot floated in, alerting them to the arrival of the pizza, Enid heaved a sigh, pulling herself up off of the bed and grabbing her wallet as she passed the dresser. Elodie called out. “Be careful, the teachers in charge of the special courses patrol the halls at night, and if they catch you… Well, the boys will be the least of our concerns I think.”

Enid nodded before stepping out, sticking to the darker hallways as she made her way to the front doors. She paused when she heard someone approaching, and hid around a corner. She held her breath, doing her best to listen. Wait, was that… clattering chains? And could she hear moans? Wait, was the school haunted?! 

She clapped her hands over her mouth in a desperate attempt to keep quiet as she heard the rattling and moaning come closer. She should run, she really, really should. It somehow was even scarier when the noises suddenly stopped, leaving her in complete silence. As she moved to peak her head around the corner, she was met with a heavily shadowed face and a set of sharp pearly whites staring directly at her. 

She just about let out a shriek that could have woken the dead when she was grabbed from behind, something covering her mouth to keep her quiet. It was then her fighting instincts kicked in and she grabbed her assailant by the wrist, throwing herself and the stranger forward as she maintained the momentum, the person being thrown forward and over her shoulder to land on their back at her feet.

Enid stared down in a mix of confusion and anger at who she had at her feet now. It was Rad! She looked up to see that the thing that originally scared her in the hall was T.K.O., who was doing his level best to laugh quietly. K.O. smiled sheepishly as he held up a box of pizza. “Err, pizza?”

With a glare that could have cowed the devil himself, she began to drag Rad by his undoubtedly sore wrist back towards her dorm. “Follow.” Not a request and clearly leaving no room to argue, T.K.O. and K.O. were forced to follow, the other exchanging nervous glances. They were in for it now…

Elodie perked up when she heard the door open. “Enid! You were gone for a while; did you get the…pizza…?” She stared as Enid tossed a green alien, one she quickly recognized as Enid’s friend Radicles. Next K.O. stepped in through the door, looking nervous as he clutched a box of pizza. Lastly a young boy decked in purple floated through the door, snickering a bit even though he was clearly nervous. 

Enid spun on the boys the second the door shut behind them. “WHAT THE COB WERE YOU THINKING scaring the ever loving BLORP out of me! Why are you guys even here, what would you have done if I had been one of the pro hero teachers here? They’d have creamed you guys!” 

It hadn’t escaped Elodie that part way through her chewing the three boys out, she had scooped K.O. into a gentle hug. Elodie snickered a bit, causing Enid to turn and aim a glare at her, the whole effect defeated but the boy in her arms practically oozing sunshine and happiness. “Err, Enid my dear, I hate to burst your bubble, but no one could look scary holding him in their arms. He’s practically a puppy.”

K.O. smiled sweetly at Elodie. “Actually, I am a puppy!” He reached behind his head and pulled the hood of the human suit off his head. With anyone else and in any other scenario, that would have been terrifying. But seeing as it was K.O., and that he gave a little yip like a puppy, Elodie stood no chance. 

She squealed and reached out, grabbing K.O. from Enid as she began to cuddle the were-puppy she now held. She snuggled him. “Oh my gosh you are just the CUTEST thing aren’t you! Ooh you’re so soft and fluffy to!”

Enid laughed softly, T.K.O. floating down to land on Enid’s bed. “Careful girl, he’s gonna catch you in his little trap.” That’s when he saw his twin give Elodie the true puppy-dog eyes. “Oops, to late.”

Elodie nearly fainted from the sheer amount of cuteness, collapsing back onto her bed as she snuggled K.O. a little tighter. “How can anyone be so gosh darn cute?!” K.O. finally wriggled free, giggling as he slipped his hood back on, taking on his normal human look. He really had to thank Dendy for these suits again. 

It didn’t take to long before they were all enjoying the pizza and each others company. Elodie jumped when an alarm went off on her phone and she grabbed for it, looking down at the notification for the alarm. “Oh no… I’m supposed to meet the others for the special courses meeting…” She looked between the gathered friends and sighed. “I have to go…”

Enid stood up, gently taking Elodie’s shaking hands. It was clear the girl was terrified after all Enid had told her. “You don’t have to go, Elodie. Can’t you just tell them you weren’t feeling good…?”

T.K.O. perked up, paying special attention to the conversation. Elodie shook her head, forcing a smile. “No, Enid. I’ll be fine. I have to help you and Sparko get to the bottom of this mess at the school… I came here because I wanted to be a great hero people could look up to…I need to see this through.”

And thus, with a wave and an elegant bow, she left the room. Enid sighed, flopping back onto her bed as Rad looked between the door and his friend. “Enid, what were you guys talking about? What’s going on here?”

She looked over at Rad. “Buckle up, you three are going to want to sit down for this… wait, um, where’s T.K.O.?” 

Elodie walked through the hall with purpose, head held high as she strode with her usual poise. It didn’t take her long at all to reach her destination, and spotted Sparko arriving as well. She smiled gently at him, noting his nervous fidgeting. She gently laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Sparko. Enid filled me in, and I’m on your side… you aren’t alone.”

“Neither of you are.”

The two whipped around, letting out shrieks of terror. They had expected to see a teacher, but they were instead met with a pair of purple eyes staring at them from the darkness of the hall. When the figure stepped forward, it revealed itself to be T.K.O., causing both students to nearly collapse against each other in relief. 

T.K.O. had to try really hard not to snicker at them. He crossed his arms and smirked a bit. “I’m following you guys in. If it’s connected to you, Sparko, and what happened at the field, I think I have a right to know.”

Elodie stared into the darkness behind the boy. “Are the others coming as well?”

He shook his head, lifting himself off of the floor with his powers as he hovered there. “No, just me. I left the others behind because I knew they’d try and talk me out of this.”

Sparko was about to open his mouth, but he cut himself off when he heard the clacking of shoes against the tile. “A teacher! Quick, man, hide!” 

T.K.O. didn’t have to be told twice, floating up towards the top of the lockers and slipping himself into the tiny gap between them and the ceiling. He watched as Foxtail turned the corner, stopping when she saw Sparko and Elodie. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Shouldn’t you two be at the meeting?”

Elodie perked up in a salute. “Ah, yes mam, I was just on my way when I ran into Sparko. We’ll be on our way then.” She turned to finish her journey, Sparko scrambling slightly to keep up. T.K.O. stared as Foxtail watched them turn the corner. The woman huffed. “Something has been off with that Sparko lately… he may just have to be dropped from the program…” She shook her head. “No, that would be such a waste… perhaps we could do a study instead…”

A growl almost escaped T.K.O. as he watched Foxtail leave, flying quickly in the direction the two students had gone. He caught up quickly, swooping down to hover next to them. “Watch out, Sparko. Foxtail is on to you and I don’t like what she said…”

Sparko gulped audibly, fidgeting with his gloves. “W-What’s she’s planning on doing…?”

The boy shook his head. “Best case scenario, you get dropped I suppose… worst… lab rat.”

With a pitiful whine, Sparko sunk to the floor. “N-No way, lab rat…? I might not trust any of them right now, but they’re still heroes…! How can they talk about something like that? That’s villain stuff!” 

Elodie clapped a hand over Sparko’s mouth, silencing him. “Here’s the plan, you two. T.K.O. you stick close, and if anything happens, cause a distraction and get Sparko out of here. Then go get Enid and the others and get them out safe to. You can’t stay here, you’re both under suspicion… I’m not, I’ll keep an eye on things here…”

The two boys glanced at each other, then nodded. T.K.O. floated up practically melted into the shadows. “Alright, I’ll keep out of sight, you guys do your best…”

And so, Sparko and Elodie stepped into the gymnasium together after going through the security. They were greeted by a ring of other classmates. T.K.O. hung around in the exposed rafters, staring down at the group of students as they gathered around… wait, was that…?

Chip damage…?

T.K.O. squinted a bit, and sure enough it was. He couldn’t here very well what was being said from this distance. He didn’t need to though, as when he saw Chip Damage pull out a Glorb, he felt the anxiety spike in his chest, staring wide eyed as Chip loaded the Glorb in his arm cannon, pointing it directly at the first student.

He shook, doing his best to keep the sparks from dancing through his hair as the blackness began to cover him. He couldn’t let this happen. This was wrong! He zipped out into open air, then launched himself down to the assembly with a roar. The group barely managed to scatter, but T.K.O. wasted no time, launching himself directly at Chip damage. 

Being the weapon that he had equipped at the moment, Chip aimed his blaster canon at T.K.O. and fired, clearly forgetting the Glorb he had loaded. With a bang the Glorb was launched, hitting T.K.O. in the stomach as he tried to veer away. The boy let out a grunt, being tossed back from his headlong charge by the force of the attack. 

He held his stomach, expecting to feel much more pain. He blinked a bit, looking down at himself. He didn’t feel anymore pain from the impact, and he realized that his Turbo energy spiked from the Glorb. His body was not covered in the blackness though, the process having been accelerated by the attack. He grinned devilishly, floating into the air as his purple aura flamed around him, his eyes glowing a deathly purple. “Nice try… my turn!” 

He charged at Chip again, managing to dodge a proper blast from the arm canon this time before slamming Chip into an adjacent wall, floating back as he watched Chip try to recover. He glanced back, spotting Enid and Sparko just… standing there and staring! No way, no how, this was supposed to get at least Sparko out of here! He couldn’t make it obvious though. 

T.K.O. began to zip and charge at the other gathered students, yelling at them to run before he got them. That seemed to have done the trick after only 2 students, as they all took the que to leave. He zipped higher into the rafters of the gym as Chip finally got himself free from the wall, and T.K.O. flinched a bit to see the hero’s eyes flash purple. 

Of course, he’d be using Turbo energy if he was willing to shoot it into students. It was then T.K.O. realized his only advantage was now lost. If they had been on level playing ground before, he may still have come out on top given his body’s natural affinity for Turbo energy, but Chip was clearly able to use it in some capacity as wall. That, on top of his usual hero strength, meant that T.K.O. was at a very clear disadvantage. Time to beat a hasty retreat! 

He made a bee-line for the door, preparing to blast through it if he needed to. He was stopped by a strong grip on his ankle, which yanked him back in the air. He whipped around to see Chip glaring at him, a robotic arm extending his reach to hold T.K.O. in place. 

Chip then gave another mighty tug, dragging T.K.O. forward and delivering a powerful punch to the boy’s side. He barely blocked the hit with his free arms, getting knocked to the side where he skidded against the slick floors, landing with a pouf against the padded wall of the gym. He pushed himself up, wincing a little as a bruise formed on his arm. “Youch… ever heard of taking it easy on a kid?”

There was no response, only the whirring of Chip charging his arm cannon. T.K.O. barely managed to dodge the blast, zipping straight upwards to dodge it before flying circles around Chip. He would take pot shots at the hero, sending purple power punches (say that five times fast!) and waves of purple energy at the other. 

T.K.O. faltered in the air as one of the blasts hit, gouging a chunk out of Chip’s face. He hadn’t expected to see robotic parts sparking from the gash when Chip glared at him again. So Chip didn’t just have augmentations, he was a full blown robot, head to toe! He grabbed the chain hanging from the cuff on his left arm, giving it a swift few tugs. If Elodie of Sparko hadn’t already gone to get them, then he needed to get K.O. to come here. He wouldn’t get out of this without a few more bruises if this kept up.

If he was lucky.

He was caught in the side of the head by a punch as Chip took advantage of his temporary distraction to clock him one. T.K.O. crashed to the floor, trying his best to scramble to his feet through his swimming vision. He growled, letting the sparks dance off his hair and fingertips as he glared at Chip. He felt a few tugs on his left wrist and heard the chain jingle. Good, he was coming. 

He just had to hold out a little longer! 

T.K.O. floated up into the air again, though it was a little wobbly. That last punch really messed him up. He ran a hand over the spot, wincing. Yeah, that will definitely end with one heck of a goose egg. He dodged another hit from Chip, throwing more power punches out. The first missed by a fair amount, but the second and third hit their mark, both managing to knock Chip back at least a few paces. 

They exchanged blows like that, T.K.O. managing to destroy one of Chips arms entirely, leaving nothing but a sparking stump, and tearing off a fair amount of what counted as Chips skin from his shoulder and chest. 

He wasn’t looking to much better though. One of his eyes was stuck shut from an open wound over his eye, and after blocking another punch from Chip he had lost feeling in his right arm. He was barely keeping himself afloat, the black slowly ebbing from his body in his exhaustion. 

It was then that K.O. managed to break into the gym. T.K.O. grinned tiredly at his twin, holding out his un injured arm. “Bout time, I’ve been getting tired of this little game of ours…”

K.O. gasped sharply as he saw the state his idol Chip Damage was in. “T.K.O.! Why is Chip a robot?! Can you PLEASE tell me why you’re fighting?!” He ran over to his twin, but yelped as he had to dodge a blast from Chip. 

T.K.O. rolled his eyes. “Oh, just shut it and help me up so we can beat this guy and get out of here!”

K.O. reached out his left hand, grabbing T.K.O.’s to help him up.

The cuffs around their wrists began to glow, linking together. And with a bright flash their world went white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, I certainly didn't expect people to enjoy this story so much...! It really makes me happy... If there's anything you guys want to see happen, let me know, and I'll see if I can work it in! I had a lot of fun last time that happened, and I got an entire chapter out of it to progress T.K.O.'s character! And if there is something you don't like, let me know that to, alright? I love you all~


	16. Perfection comes at a price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the boys discover a new power, they realize that it may be their only way to fight against those villains that rise up in the future. Can they pay the price that comes is the question.

“What happened…” 

Chip crouched into a fighting position, watching as the dust settled in the gym. He had watched as the two boys had become enveloped in a flash of light, kicking up dust and debris from the prior fighting. Now, standing in front of him seemed to remain only one.

Messy hair bound by a blue head band, blue wrist bands, and a strange black and white pattern swirling actively over the boy’s body. The boy cracked his eyes open, revealing a piercing golden gaze. He looked himself over, noting the purple metal bands on both of his wrists over the blue wrist bands. He lifted his arms, watching the chains clink as yellow energy danced over the metal. 

His eyes widened. “K.O.? Wait, no, T.K.O. are you there? Where are… who am… what am I…?” He patted himself down, watching white markings dance with the now familiar black over his skin. “Whoa… I’m like a weird light show…” 

He grinned a bit, feeling power flowing freely through him. It felt as familiar as T.K.O.’s blazing rage, and K.O.’s calming aura. He felt like the two energies weren’t fighting though, but instead working in perfect harmony… “Perfect…I’m not K.O. anymore… or T.K.O…” He clenched his fists, a golden aura encompassing him as he levitated effortlessly into the air. “I’m…P.K.O.!”

Chip could tell he was outmatched now, scanning the foe before him and sending the data to a back up drive. He readied his blaster, shooting several blasts at the golden boy above of him. P.K.O. dodged, though his flight wasn’t as graceful as the boy had hoped. 

“Whoa, still gotta get used to that. I forgot K.O. doesn’t normally fly… Whoa!” He dodged a few more blasts. “Cut that out, I’m trying to figure this out man!” He flexed his fingers, watching as pure white electricity sparked over his fingers. This wasn’t normal Turbo energy, that was for sure. It may short circuit Chip, seeing as how he was a robot after all. 

P.K.O. launched himself forward, using more or less the tactic of a controlled fall to crash into Chip, his shoulder taking a hit from the blaster a moment before impact. “Time to fry, bot!” 

The two found themselves in an all to familiar situation to P.K.O., except this time he wasn’t on the receiving end! He let the power course through him, sparks arcing off of his hands as he electrocuted Chip damage. He winced as he heard Chip let out a cry, sounding less and less human as it continued. 

It wasn’t long before Chip stood as little more than a pile of melted scrap before him, and P.K.O. slumped, heaving a sigh. He didn’t have long to enjoy his victory though, he had to find Enid Rad and Sparko. Hopefully they would all be together. He knew Elodie would be fine, but might end up in danger if he sought her out. He pushed himself off of the ground, and launched himself upwards. He broke through the ceiling easily enough, reaching open sky. 

He glanced around, realizing that his senses were heightened in this new form of his. As such, it didn’t take long to spot Sparko’s glowing yellow trail, and he flew towards it. “Sparko, Enid, Rad!” 

Enid spun around, looking up into the sky as P.K.O. flew at them. She jumped back a bit when he nearly face-planted into the ground in front of them. “W-Whoa! K.O. is that you?”

He righted himself quickly. “No time to explain, let’s get out of here!” He pushed himself into the air again. “Sparko, can you carry Enid? I’m going to get Rad, and be sure to stay close!” 

Sparko looked over to Enid before nodding, flying to her and scooping her up bridal style. “Ready!” 

P.K.O. nodded, reaching towards Rad. He was shocked to say the least when the chains around his arms extended, wrapping around the Alien much to Rad and his surprise. He didn’t have time to dwell on it, flying up into the sky as he called for Sparko to keep up. 

It didn’t take them long to reach the outskirts of the school grounds, and leave it behind all together. From there it was a somewhat quiet flight for the four. 

Rad glanced up at the boy carrying him. “Yo, K.O., or well, T.K.O. since you’re flying, where is K.O.?”

P.K.O. gave a shrug. “Right here, we both are, I think. I don’t know. It’s like we’re here, but not…? I’m P.K.O., I think we fused, but not like we were together before… Ugh I can’t concentrate on that now, it’s hard flying since K.O.’s not used to it.”

Well, that had Rad’s brain practically fried. He glanced over to the other two heroes flying with them, and they could only really shrug in response. They fell once more into an uneasy silence, but after a while Enid shouted out. “I see the Plaza! Over there!” 

Indeed, the Plaza had come into view in the distance, and none of them had ever been so happy to see it. It wasn’t much longer before they all touched down, Sparko and P.K.O. nearly collapsing after the energy taken to fly back. 

P.K.O. let out a groan, his feet touching the cold pavement as the chains uncoiled from around Rad’s waist, returning to their normal length of about three links each. “Ugh, I feel like I could sleep for a year…”

Enid laughed softly, helping to support Sparko, who was practically snoring as he floated there. 

Rad smiled, gently picking up P.K.O. “Don’t worry lil dude, I’ll get you home…” As Rad reached down to scoop op P.K.O., he was forced to cover his eyes when a flash of light suddenly erupted from the boy. He yelped, stumbling back a bit. Once the light faded and Rad was able to see again, he saw K.O. and T.K.O. snuggled together on the ground in front of him. He blinked. “Wha…?”

Enid stepped closer. “It really was both of them…You still going to be able to bring them both back?”

Rad nodded. “But I’ll need to bring the van closer. Can you watch them while I go grab it?” With a nod in the affirmative from Enid, Rad sprinted off to grab the van. 

Enid looked over at Sparko, who was now completely asleep against her. She sighed. “I’m going to need a lift to get you… Cob I don’t know where you live! You’ll have to stay with one of us…”

Once Rad returned with the van, she explained the issue she was facing with Sparko, and nodded. “Buckle the three sleepy heads in the back seat and hop up front with me. I’ll drive you back to your place after.”

She smiled softly and nodded, helping Rad to load everyone up and make sure they were all buckled. They both hoped back in up front and set off. On the road, Rad decided to spark up a conversation. “Sorry we crashed your time at P.O.I.N.T., but after the game K.O. and T.K.O. were worried you’d be in danger…”

Enid shook her head. “No, it’s good you guys came. As usual the boys have a nose for trouble… That school is serious trouble. I just wish Elodie hadn’t chosen to stay behind. I’m worried that she’s in even more danger now…” 

“But I wanted to come back anyway. I think they’re in trouble now.” She glanced back towards the three sleeping heroes in the back seat. “Foxtail was asking about them, and I’m worried she’s going to try to go after them. Especially if she’s involved in all that Glorb and Turbo business.”

Rad bit his lip a bit, staring at the quiet roadway ahead of him. “If it’s Glorbs, I don’t think anyone at the Plaza is safe. Remember that tree under it? Do you think they know about it? If they do, they might come for it soon…” He looked over towards Enid. “Especially if they think they’ve been found out.”

She nodded solemnly. “We have to tell Mr. Gar and Ms. Kincaid… if anyone will know what to do, it’ll be them. Right?” She didn’t sound very confident in saying that.

Rad’s silence didn’t help her nerves on the matter either. 

Silence reigned until they pulled into Carol’s driveway, and the two teens shared a nervous look. “You know that when she sees her boys all beat up; we’re going to have to explain ourselves…” 

“If we live long enough.” 

They both gulped, but resolved themselves to this. Rad gently used his powers to levitate the sleeping Sparko up to the house, and Enid picked up the two boys, carrying one in each arm. She always marveled at just how light they were despite their strength and size. 

As Rad was the only one with a free hand, he knocked on the door, and gulped as he heard shouting and clattering. He took a step back from the door, just in time as it flew open. He’s pretty sure he’d have lost his head if he’d stayed where he was. 

They were greeted with a red eyed Carol, an exhausted looking Gar standing behind him, his ever-present glasses currently missing. Both their eyes widened as they saw the group of ragged kids at their door, and Carol let out a sob when she saw T.K.O. and K.O. asleep in Enid’s arms. She took them ever so gently, hugging them close. “Oh, where were you two boys… and what happened? Why is T.K.O. so beat up?!”

Enid tugged at the collar of her school uniform. “Um, you two may want to take a seat for this… we have a lot to talk about.”

Gar and Carol had insisted on letting Sparko sleep in the master bedroom for the time being, tucking the two twins into bed together before the four that were still awake sat at the dining table. Rad and Enid took turns telling their respective parts of the story, but they both admitted that they had no idea how P.K.O. came to be, or what had happened to lead to T.K.O. being injured. 

The teens were surprised, and a little worried, about how silent the two adults had been through the discussion. After a few beats of silence, Carol slowly stood up, moving around the kitchen as she began to prepare a pot of coffee. Gar rubbed at his temples.

Rad cleared his throat a bit. “U-Um, so, what do we do about all of this…?” Carol continued making the coffee, watching as the machine began to drip the first bit into the pot. 

Gar opened his mouth to speak, but Carol interrupted. Her voice was cold and distant. “They hurt my baby boys… I won’t let P.O.I.N.T. take anyone else from me…” She punched the counter next to her, the countertop fracturing from the impact. “Never again…!” She turned, looking at those gathered at the table. “We’re going to protect the Plaza, and my boys…”

Gar nodded, standing and moving to gently pull Carol into a hug. He rubbed her back as she clung to him. “Don’t worry, Carol. Everyone will be safe. We’ll protect them all.”

Enid and Rad nodded resolutely, standing up and giving a sharp salute. “You have us to, sir! We’ll fight with you.”

Carol buried her face into Gar’s chest. She hated that she had to put those around her in danger, but she knew she couldn’t handle this alone.

After Enid and Rad had left, Gar and Carol decided to cuddle up on the couches and chairs in the living room, sleeping in there to allow Sparko a sound nights sleep. Come morning, when Sparko did wake, he let out a startled yell, looking around the room he was in. “W-Wait, this isn’t my dorm? What happened…?” He screwed his eyes shut, rubbing his head as he did his best to remember. After a few moments, realization hit him like a brick and he bolted up into the air. 

He zipped out of the room and down the hall, terrified of the strange new surroundings. When he entered the main part of the house, he stopped in place, staring at a sleepy looking Gar and Carol. He looked between the two. “Err, Aren’t you Mr. Gar? The guy who owns the Bodega? And dojo lady?”

Carol huffed. “Dojo lady? Really? My name is Carol, I’ll have you know. Do you drink coffee, Sparko?”

The electric hero floated forward hesitantly. “Yeah, I think I could use some…” He watched as Carol stood, moving about to prepare him a mug. “Um, thanks…but, why am I here?”

Gar gestured to a seat at the table. “Come sit, son. We have a lot to talk about.” Once Sparko floated down into the seat, Gar began. “For starters, you’re at the Kincaid house. Carol’s. Enid and Rad brought you here last night along with the boys and filled us in on what happened at your school… There’s some things missing though… and we hoped when you were feeling better, you could fill us in?”

Sparko looked up at Carol, offering a soft, nervous smile as she set the mug of coffee down for him, as well as some cream and sugar to add as he wanted. “Yeah, I can do that…but I don’t have much.” 

“Well, I think the parts you’re missing is probably about how it was Chip Damage that hurt T.K.O., who managed to get me and the other students out before we got more of those Glorb things put in us… I was so scared I could barely move, and I watched as Chip and T.K.O. fought… kids strong as an ox, managing to keep up with Chip…but after that I ran… like a coward. If I had stayed…”

Carol shook her head. “You’d have been in Teeks’ way. He has a particular way of fighting, and doesn’t like having to worry about others. And it sounded like he needed to go full Turbo for that fight…”

Sparko sighed, clutching his coffee cup. “How is he so strong anyway…? Like, yeah, I get it, Glorbs are crazy stuff that give you a boost, but I swear I nearly died when I went Turbo… and he does it all on his own? Not just that but he got blasted by a Glorb before the fight even started…”

Gar sighed. “He’s tough, but he bites off more than he can chew… sounds like we’re still missing a key part of the story. We have to wait for the boys to wake up.”

It was mid day by the time that they did wake up, Gar and Sparko having left for work. K.O. was first, yawning as he rolled his stiff body out of bed. He waddled his way to the bathroom, rubbing at his eyes as he slowly woke himself up. He padded off to the kitchen, expecting to see his mom cheerily preparing breakfast. Instead he found her asleep on the couch, clutching a pillow as she snored softly. 

He tilted his head a bit, looking towards the digital clock on the stove. He nearly yelped when he realized it was past noon! How had he slept so long? He knew he was stiff from the events the night before but he hadn’t expected to sleep in. He looked back towards his mom, and decided to let her sleep. She seemed to need it. He instead went back to his room, putting on headphones to play a game so he wouldn’t wake T.K.O. up, who was still snoring loudly on the bed.

It was afternoon before Carol woke again, yawning as she pushed herself off of the couch. “Oof… I have to look into getting us a new house… one with a gest room preferably…”

She stretched out her sore back, sighing as she felt several pops in her spine. She brewed herself some more coffee and sipped at it as she went to check on her boys. She smiled brightly to see the two playing videos game together. “Well hello, my boys… I’m so glad to see you both awake.” 

K.O.’s eyes widened when he saw his mom standing in the doorway and dropped his controller, leaping to his feet and practically tackling her in a hug. “Mommy! Good morning! Or, uh, good afternoon I guess?”

She laughed softly, setting down her coffee as she scooped up K.O. gently and hugging him properly. “Good afternoon peanut. Did you sleep well?” 

He nodded vigorously. “Yep! I was so tired last night, I guess I needed a lot of sleep! Teeks was sleeping longer though.”

T.K.O. huffed in frustration. “Can you blame me? I had to fight alone before you got your slow butt to the battle.”

Carol nodded a bit. “About that, boys… can you tell me what happened yesterday? I got some of the story from Rad, Enid and Sparko, but I want to know what happened when they weren’t there. What happened to Chip, and what about that P.K.O. thing last night?”

The twin boys looked at each other a moment before T.K.O. sighed. “To sum up, Chip was a robot. Me and K.O. fused and that turned into P.K.O., and then P.K.O. vaporized Chip. Then we flew home. That’s about all that everyone else missed I think.”

Carol stared at the boy on the floor like he’d grown a second head. “Wait, hold on. So, you and K.O. fused, and Chip was a robot?!”

K.O. nodded. “Believe me, mommy, I was surprised to find out to! And he was a villain to boot!”

T.K.O. nodded. “Him and that Foxtail person. She was talking about experimenting on Sparko if we didn’t get him out of there.” 

Carol bit her lip, looking away. “Foxtail… She’s not a villain, at least, she wasn’t…”

T.K.O. set down the controller, looking over towards Carol and K.O. “Sounds like you know her well, mom. Since we shared, shouldn’t you?”

She looked away, then hugged K.O. a little bit closer, rebalancing him so she could hold her other hand out to T.K.O. “Let’s talk over dinner. I’ll talk while I cook. How about spaghetti?”

And so, while she cooked, Carol told the story about what happened when she was a member of P.O.I.N.T., back before it was a school, back when it was just a popular super hero group. She explained how she had met Gar there as well, and she explained about how the team had fallen apart. She sighed, setting down the finished food once she ended her story. “Foxtail was once a great hero… all of us were. We all drifted apart after the incident with Lazerblast…”

T.K.O. nodded a bit, scooping up a fork of pasta. “So, a little off topic, but… Lazerblast, huh? Was he dad?”

Both Carol and K.O. choked on their noodles. K.O.’s eyes sparkled and Carol’s face was beat red. She coughed to clear her throat. “W-Where did that come from?! How’d you get that?!”

The Turbo boy chuckled a bit, taking another bite of pasta all to calmly. “You practically melted whenever you mentioned him. And your face turned red. I was born an embodiment of emotions, remember? I can kind of tell what they look like.”

Carol whined loudly, thumping her forehead on the table as K.O. practically was vibrating now. “OHMYCOB MY MOMMY AND DADDY WERE BOTH AWESOMLY STRONG HEROES OHMYCOB!”

K.O. clapped his hands together, and that was when T.K.O. paused, watching K.O.’s hands as the waved about. He looked at his own hands to confirm what he saw on something that wasn’t moving a mile a minute. Sure enough, there were shots of white through the blackness that normally covered his hand. He tugged the collar of his tank top away from him, looking down at his chest. 

“Wow, that’s new.”

That got both K.O. and Carol to look at T.K.O., and he slipped off his shirt, pointing to the black starburst on his chest. “Look.”

K.O.’s eyes widened and Carol stood from her seat. In the middle of T.K.O.’s chest sat a white area, which seemed to be the shape of a swirl. K.O. tugged up his own tank top, and he had a similar mark, but it spun in the opposite direction. 

Carol looked between them. “When did those show up?”

The two shrugged, K.O. letting his shirt fall again as T.K.O. slipped his back on. T.K.O. hummed in thought. “It was probably because of P.K.O., I remember seeing white mixed with the black while we were him.”

K.O. nodded. “Oh yeah, I remember that now to! I didn’t think to much about that last night, I was kind of focused… or we were, I guess? That still confuses me.”

Carol tilted her head a bit. “Wait, so neither of you were in control as P.K.O.?”

They shook their heads. K.O. poked at his spaghetti as he spoke. “Yes and no. We both were, but neither of us were. We were P.K.O., but we weren’t. It felt more like… Mm, I guess playing as a videos game character? Like, we were both in control, but we were passengers. It’s really, really hard to explain.”

As the two boys did their best to try and explain that P.K.O. wasn’t either of them, but was both of them, they eventually had to give up, everyone starting to get a headache as they tried to wrap their heads around it. 

They finished their super as K.O. asked more questions about what Lazerblast was like before he passed, and T.K.O. stuffed his face as they learned more about their dad. It was interesting to hear the exploits of the former hero. 

After they had all finished their food, K.O. pushed himself away from the table, hopping off of his chair and padding his way to the living room. “Teeks, wanna play a videos game with me?”

T.K.O. nodded, downing his last few noodles before floating off the chair, lazily hovering after K.O. as he grabbed two controllers. Carol smiled softly as she gathered the dishes, setting them into the sink as she watched them start their game. They had started keeping a schedule of their own, playing co-op games together for a little while each day before picking a movie each to watch. They often ended up enjoying each others movie, though there were a few where the one who hadn’t chosen the film would distract themselves quietly.

She was happy to see the boys getting along well, though of course they did have their fights sometimes. As though on que she heard T.K.O. complain loudly, throwing a punch at K.O.’s arm. “Yo, no kill stealing!” 

She stepped into the living room, crossing her arms as she looked down at them. “Not starting a fight, are we?” 

T.K.O. huffed, and K.O. smiled sheepishly up at her. “No, mommy, we’re not.” He looked over to his twin when T.K.O. leaned in and whispered something to him. K.O. grinned, nodding cheerily as he set down his controller and leapt to his feet. “We’re going outside mommy! We’ll be back before dark!” 

As the two boys got themselves ready and headed out the door, she tilted her head slightly. They’d been doing that a lot to. Whenever they’d start getting angry at each other, they’d leave for a while and come back tired as ever. She sighed, starting to clean to keep her mind off of it. They always came back safe, so there was no reason to worry.

K.O. and T.K.O. made their way into the forest behind their house, silent as they walked. It didn’t take long to make it to the clearing so familiar to them now. They shared a look between each other, and then it was on! They leapt away from each other, then began sparring, throwing weakened power punches and waves of energy at one another. 

They had been coming out here to let off steam whenever the world seemed wrong around them. They’d let off steam together, and they had been getting stronger because of it. There was a time they came out here every night for a week to spar. 

They continued to exchange blow after blow until they both panted with exhaustion. T.K.O. called a time out, slumping down against a tree. K.O. nodded, moving to sit next to him.

K.O. sighed, rolling his shoulder. “You’ve got a really strong punch you know; I think I’m going to have a bruise on my shoulder for a few days.”

With a grin, T.K.O. chuckled. “Well, I am strong ya know.” They fell into a comfortable silence, laying back as they watched clouds pass over head. 

After a little while, K.O. snickered as he heard T.K.O. snoring quietly. He watched quietly as he watched a butterfly flit through the air, flying past his own nose before it floated gently over to T.K.O., landing on the sleeping boy’s nose. 

K.O. quietly reached for his phone, managing to pull it out and take a photo before T.K.O. sneezed the poor butterfly off. K.O. saved the picture, sending it to himself in case T.K.O. found it and deleted it. Or destroyed the phone. 

T.K.O. let out a loud yawn, stretching himself out on the warm grass. He rubbed at his eyes as he looked over toward K.O. “Hey, whatcha got your phone out for…?”

The boy gave a small, nonchalant shrug as he opened one of his favorite time killer games. “Just playing some crushing sweets while you napped. I’m stuck on this level though; can you give me a hand?”

With a roll of his eyes, T.K.O. held his hand out to take the phone, which K.O. set into his twins waiting palm. It didn’t take long for one level to become ten, the boys trading whenever they would get stuck with a move. 

It was quiet between them, T.K.O. hovering over K.O.’s shoulder as he watched his better half work his way through a particularly difficult level. Once completed, T.K.O. snagged the phone. He floated up just out of K.O.’s reach so the phone wouldn’t be easily taken back. “K.O. I’m tired of these distractions, I know you wanted to come out here and do something specific. So, let’s do it already!”

K.O. looked at his foot, kicking at the grass. “Yeah, I did want to try, but I’m scared to… aren’t you?”

T.K.O.’s eyes narrowed a little, searching his twin’s expression before he sighed, landing on the grass Infront of the other. “No duh I am. That wasn’t normal, what we did, but it was so strong…! We’re facing off against tougher and tougher opponents. We need this strength if we’re going to fight back.”

There was a moment of silence as K.O. stared at the manacle and chain hanging from his left wrist, before he held out the same hand to his twin. “Yeah, you’re right. And we’ll never get used to it if we don’t try it…”

It was T.K.O.’s turn to hesitate. He stared at the proffered hand before looking into K.O.’s eyes. “Right. Let’s do it.” He smiled a bit, though it was clearly nervous. “Together.”

As he took K.O.’s hand, both watched as more glowing links formed to link the two dangling chains together. Once the final link was made, both boys cried out as their minds went blank and their world was overtaken by light. 

As soon as the light dissipated, P.K.O. blinked his eyes open, wincing a little from the light of the sun. He rubbed his eyes, then paused to look at his hand. The dancing marks of white seemed to have calmed from the last time he was aware. He turned his hand over, and then again, admiring the designs that seemed to have settled there. His palm was white, as were his fingernails. More white circles covered his knuckles, with white lines connecting to a white band around his wrist, just before the metal manacle that hung there. 

He continued his examination, tracing a solid white line along the outside of his arm to his elbow, where another white band wrapped around the joint before another line continued the rest of the way up, connecting to a circle over his shoulder. He slipped off his tank top, examining his chest now.

From the circles over his shoulders two more white lines connected to a round, white loop over his chest, which had a white diamond in the center. He noticed that while the blackness normally only covered his arms in his normal calm state, the blackness now covered his entire body, broken only by the aforementioned white markings. 

He glanced down at his feet, noting how the white and black still swirled over them with no fixed patterning. He tilted his head slightly, tapping his foot as though willing the colors to solidify. The small movement almost causing P.K.O. to lose balance. 

In a panic, he found himself floating into the air to avoid collision with the ground. It was slightly easier to right himself in the air, spinning in lazy circles before he got himself under control. He sighed. It was certainly odd to control a body that was never yours, and yet is all you are. He felt a tug at his chest, and clutched a fist over the ache. 

It passed after a moment, and a sense of realization swept over him. “I was going to split there; I think I have to stay focused…” He scanned the forest floor below him, and spotted a rather sturdy tree. He landed gently in front of it. “Sorry, Mr. tree…”

He coked his fist back, taking a deep, steadying breath before he threw a completely normal punch at it. He flinched back when he heard the wood splinter, staring at the small, shallow fist shaped dent in the wood. 

He felt a rush of excitement at that. “Wow… I’m so powerful…! Let’s see what I can really do…!” 

He began to throw a flurry of punches at the tree, each subsequent punch stronger than the last. It wasn’t long before he had knocked down not just that first tree, but several others as well. He panted, feeling golden sparks of power dance across his skin as his aura burned around him. 

He looked down at his hands, laughing as he felt the power wash over him in waves. It was incredible! Was this his true power? His true potential? 

His vision seemed to split down the middle, one hand had a purple sweat band around the wrist, and black nail polish on the claw like nails. The other hand seemed gentle; a soft red sweatband wrapped around that wrist. 

His vision snapped back almost immediately, leaving his staring at white palmed hands. He grits his teeth and clenched his fists, falling to his knees as he felt himself being torn in two. 

He looked up at the demolished area of forest around him, and his vision seemed to split again. One scene before him was that of the Bodega burning, purple fire scattered everywhere as he heard the screams of terrified heroes ran away from him. 

The other scene, existing alongside and simultaneously to the first, was of his friends, all laying in crumpled heaps around him. None were responsive. This vision was almost to silent. All sound missing save for a familiar Shadow’s cackling. “Yes, boy… accept who you are! Who you will become!”

There was a great flash of light, and the visions finally ended.

T.K.O. sat bolt upright as soon as he came to, staring around at the destroyed trees. His heart sank as he pushed himself to his feet. It had all felt so real… As soon as he spotted K.O. he ran over, kneeling next to his better half as he shook his shoulders gently. “K.O., you ok? Wake up, come on…”

K.O. whined softly, swatting at the air in the general area where T.K.O. was hovering over him. “Mph, five more minutes…”

With a growl, T.K.O. pinched K.O.’s nose, which got the other to sit up quickly, batting at the others hands. “Hey, what’s the—” His eyes widened as the memories seemed to finally catch up. He looked around at the destroyed clearing. “T.K.O., what was all that…?”

He shrugged, offering out a hand to help K.O. to his feet. “I don’t know, I think P.K.O. got a little ahead of himself… I think we should be careful about that little trump card.”

K.O. nodded, pulling himself up with the others help. “Agreed.”

They looked over the carnage together, the echoes of the Shadow creatures words echoing in their heads.


	17. Trouble comes knocking

K.O. stared up at the ceiling, laying back on his bed as he tried his best to make sense of what had happened yesterday when he and T.K.O. fused. It had been such a surreal experience. His eyes wandered over to where T.K.O. was hovering in the air, flipping idly through one of the comic books they both liked to read. 

It had been quiet between the two since they came back from the forest. Neither were sure what to say, or if there was anything left to be said about it. T.K.O. flipped to the next page in the book, looking more at the colors and action than the words. He could pretty much remember them by heart anyway. 

Between them they had come to realize that while T.K.O. had great visual memory, K.O. had a great memory for things he had done. As such, both boys had a different sense of what had happened in the forest. 

When T.K.O. closed his eyes, he could still see those visions P.K.O. had, could still see all the destruction. K.O. on the other hand, remembered how it felt. How real, he could feel the heat from the burning Plaza, and the cold that the Shadow always emitted.

Both boys jolted when they heard a light knock on the door, and they spun to stare at it, both feeling their energies spike as they readied themselves for combat. When they saw Carol poke her head in through the door frame, they forced themselves to look as calm as they could manage. 

She looked between the two. “Are you two boys ready to head to the Bodega?”

With a glance between them, they nodded. They had a bad feeling that something was going to happen today, but they had to admit that they were most likely just on edge. It didn’t take long for K.O. to get himself ready, but T.K.O. took some time with it. He wanted to make sure he at least looked decent.

It wasn’t to long before the small family arrived at the Plaza, Carol making her way towards the dojo as K.O. walked towards the Bodega, T.K.O. floating over him. He had taken more and more to using his abilities to levitate rather than walking. At least when he was around heroes. When he was around people with less or no power, he’d walk. 

Everything started out as a normal day, Enid sitting back behind the till as she did her best to avoid customers, Rad and T.K.O. working in the back to stack and arrange produce and items, and K.O. roaming the store, offering help to any he crossed while he cleaned up any messes that he spotted.

The four worked well together now, often spending their breaks together in the lounge as they either played videos game or watched videos online. They had recently gotten into this rather cheesy superhero show featuring a team of teens with an assortment of powers. 

Rad laughed as one of his favorite characters did something rather silly. “Hah, man, I love this show! My favorite is the Boy Beast!” He leapt off the couch, punching into the air. “He can turn into any animal, can you imagine?” He sighed, wilting a bit. “I’m stuck as a were-cat… or uh, alien were-cat I guess?”

K.O. clapped his hands together. “Oh, ok! I like the leader, Cardinal! He might not have any superpowers like the others, but he’s still super strong!”

Enid laughed softly, crossing her hands behind her head as she lounged against the couch. “My favorite is totally Solar Storm. She’s super kick butt and totally adorable! And kinda dorky, like K.O.~” 

With a huff, K.O. decided to change the focus. “Who’s your favorite, Teeks?” He looked up towards T.K.O., who was lounging in the air as he watched the T.V. upside down. 

The boy thought for a little, watching the screen before he spoke. “Crow. Do I have to explain why?”

Rad laughed at that. “Dark and brooding, but super strong, right?”

T.K.O. grinned a bit. “Bingo. Now shut it and turn up the T.V., I can hardly hear it and we’ve only got another 5 minutes before break ends.”

With a nod, Rad reached for the remote and scooped it up, turning the volume up so they could all hear easily. It was in the middle of a fight scene and the villain had just announced that he had placed a bomb in the building, and if the heroes didn’t comply, he would destroy the building, injuring all inside. 

They were all on the edge of their seats, T.K.O. hovering a little closer. The villain was about to trigger the button now! Suddenly, the world around them shook as they heard a loud crashing noise. They looked between each other, and Rad laughed nervously. “I uh, didn’t turn it up that much…”

T.K.O. flew towards the backroom door and glanced through the window, able to see through the store and out the front window. “WHAT THE COB?!” And with that he blasted out of the room and towards the front.

K.O. was next on his feet with Rad and Enid close behind. Once they made it out of the Bodega entirely, they were faced with something that none of them were sure was real. 

On the pavement of the parking lot stood everyone who attended the Plaza, be it employee or visitor. Across from them was a crane with a wrecking ball, a drop ship, and a large group of soldiers. All of which were sporting the P.O.I.N.T. logo. 

Standing front and center was Foxtail, looking as powerful and imposing as ever. She brought a megaphone to her mouth and made her announcement. “Attention Lakewood Plaza Turbo, my name is Foxtail, and as of now I oversee this place! Evacuate the area and do not return!” She looked over the crowd.

K.O. and T.K.O. were both in fighting position, the prior letting his energy blaze around his fists. The later allowing purple sparks of energy arc over his form, glaring daggers at the person threatening the life he had made here.

Foxtail stared pointedly at the two boys. “Any action taken against us will be met with force!” She smirked a bit. “Now, move out of our way!” She waved the crane forward, and that’s when Enid spotted Elodie in control of it. She was about to yell out to her when she saw just how scared she looked. 

Enid was about to call a conference to decide what to do, but as she turned to her friends, she found two missing. That’s when she realized that both the young boys had leapt forward into action, T.K.O. blasting forward like a shot from a gun as he struck the wrecking ball. After the first hit, it cracked through, a couple more and it was quickly reduced to scrap. K.O. on the other hand, was right in front of Foxtail, telling her off is a very K.O. way.

“Miss Foxtail how could you!? What did we ever do to you, why do you suddenly have to come here and try to hurt people like this? I thought you were a hero!”

Foxtail glared down at him, then glanced up slightly as T.K.O. came to hover close to K.O.

She smirked a bit. “Why hello, boys. Truth be told, I’ve had my eye on this place for a rather long while. I’m here for the Glorbs this place protects… oh ho, I see you know what Glorbs are?”

The boys’ eyes had gone wide at the mention of those little glowing McGuffins. Foxtail leaned forward slightly. “Of course, you do… after all, you both can use Turbo energy, something that comes from Glorbs… As such, I’ve come for more than the Glorbs today… I’m here for you both!”

She lunged forward, aiming to grab them both. T.K.O. was faster though, managing to fly out of range. Sadly K.O. wasn’t as quick, and she managed to catch him by his wrist. He yelped, trying to tug himself free. “O-Oh geez, let me go! I’m not coming with you, you mean villain!”

Foxtail took up an expression of mock guilt. “Oh, dear boy, a villain? On the contrary…” She yanked K.O. closer, keeping their conversation private. “I’m here for strength. Just like you and your brother posses. I need power to protect the weak. So, why not come with me willingly? We could save so many…”

She was forced to leap back, pulling a startled K.O. closer to her as she tried to keep a hold on one of her prizes. She glanced up to see a crater where she just stood, a very angry Carol glaring daggers at her. Gar was right behind her, cracking his knuckles. 

She quickly handed K.O. off to a subordinate, who slapped cuffs onto hos wrist as he was dragged onto the ship, kicking and screaming all the while. Foxtail kept her attention on Carol. “Power sealing cuffs. No adult could break out of those, let alone a child… “

Carol let out an infuriated cry, jumping forward as she unleashed a flurry of attacks. She was seeing red as she did her best to take out Foxtail. 

They exchanged blows; Gar being forced to fight off any that tried to interfere. It wasn’t long before the rest of the Plaza joined the fight to. 

K.O. sat in a cell aboard the ship, sniffling as he hugged his knees. He was doing his best not to cry, but it was hard. He knew he had turned completely black at this point, his body shaking and the chains around his wrists rattling. In the time his alter had been out of his body and in his own, he had started to take comfort in the sound of metal clinking against metal. It was nearly as soothing as being able to hear T.K.O. whenever he wanted. He wished he could return to his mindscape; escape the reality he may well be faced with now.

He screwed his eyes shut tight, hugging himself a little closer. “T.K.O. where are you…? I miss you…” 

He jolted when he felt something familiar, yet foreign invade his mind. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a void like space. A part of him knew this was within himself, not a part of reality. Despite this it brought him no comfort. “This isn’t the mindscape…”

“No, it’s not, my little pet… It’s about time I’m able to have a… pleasant chat with you~.” 

K.O. felt a shiver claw up his spine and whipped around, coming face to face with the Shadow. Even in the darkness of this void, they still seemed like a hole punched into reality, rather than a physical being. The Shadow took a step forward, and with the blink of an eye he was directly in front of K.O. 

The boy yelped and tried to jump back, finding himself frozen in place. He tried to shrink away as the Shadow traced a hand over K.O.’s arm, moving up until they ever so gently cupped the boy’s cheek. It was colder than anything he had ever known. The touch felt like it drained the heat from him and gripped his very soul. 

The Shadow chuckled, deep yet shrill all the same. “Soul… yes, perhaps that would be true.”

K.O.’s eyes widened. “C-Can you hear my thoughts…?”

A grin split the Shadow’s face. “In a sense, yes. I am a part of you, after all… both of you boys. You see, I am not of this world… as such, I can not exist in it on my own. That’s why I’ve been waiting for one such as you to exist… of course, my plan has not gone off without a hitch. You are far to… well, perhaps I shouldn’t tip my hand to far. It would appear your other half is about to interrupt me anyway.”

“Though I suppose I can leave you with… a small something. A piece of me, as it were.” The Shadow took a step back and held out their hand. Within it swirled a ghostly wisp of darkness. “I need you to survive, after all…” The darkness solidified into what looked like an ice crystal formed of the darkness. “While your other half embodies fire and passion… you will wield the power of ice and .” 

K.O. had no time to react, not that there was much he could have done anyway. He watched as the Shadow suddenly struck forward with the ice shard, embedding it into his chest. He let out a pained cry, feeling that now all to familiar cold bleed into him.

His eyes opened, and he was panting heavily, shaking like a leaf as he tried his best to ground himself. He practically tore his shirt off, examining his chest for any sign of what happened in the mindscape. Sure enough, resting in the middle of his chest, was a black crystal-like object. It was nearly flush to his skin and was only obvious to the touch or when light reflected off it.

He gently ran a finger over the crystal, shuddering a bit when he realized he could feel it as though it had always been a part of him. He suddenly really wished he hadn’t torn his shirt; he really didn’t want anyone to see this.

He was shaken from his thoughts as a blast rocked the ship that he was in. He pushed himself to his feet, pressing himself against the pane of glass that separated him from the bulk of the ship. He blinked, rather confused to see a rather significant hole punched into the side of it. 

His eyes widened when he saw a familiar looking face standing in the opening, panting as he glared at the P.O.I.N.T. soldiers that were now questioning their loyalty. They fled quickly when T.K.O. let out a primal roar, blasting forward into the small crowd. 

With the P.O.I.N.T. soldiers now gone, T.K.O. ran towards the cell that K.O. was in. He pressed his hands against the glass as K.O. did the same. “You dolt! How did you even get caught?!” 

K.O. sheepishly indicated the cuffs on his wrists. “I kind of can’t use any power with these things on…”

With a growl and an eye roll, T.K.O. took a step back and held up a fist, allowing it to be engulfed in his purple fire. K.O. stepped back, shielding his face as his twin threw a punch at the glass, shattering it rather easily despite how thick it was. He moved into the cell once the glass settled, hovering so he didn’t cut his feet. “Hold out your hands and keep em steady.”

With a nod K.O. did as he was told, gritting his teeth as his twin sliced through the bindings and cutting them in two. It was a simple matter after that for the two boys to break the cuffs themselves off. Once done, K.O. rolled his shoulders, calling on his power to see if he got it back.

What neither of them expected was for K.O.’s arms to become encased in ice. With the shock he lost his grip on the power and watched as the ice faded away. Ok, so what happened with the Shadow really did happen. 

T.K.O. stared at his twin, completely stunned. “What the cob was that…?”

“Can I tell you after we get out of here? Please?” K.O. pleaded, and the other begrudgingly relented. “Alright, but only to save the plaza. Now, let’s get back out there!” T.K.O. held out his hand, and K.O. grabbed it. And with that they flew out of the ship.

Neither were sure what to make of the scene before them. A vast majority of the Plaza had been either captured or defeated, with those remaining now blocked off against a wall. T.K.O. let out a deep growl. “K.O., whatever powers you have now, you better use them!”

He nodded. “Right, drop me over them, I think I have an idea!” 

With a reluctant nod, T.K.O. released him. K.O. tapped into his power, watching as ice encased his fist and arm. This could either hurt like heck or be powerful. (hopefully) 

His hopes were confirmed when he hit the ground fist first with a loud crash, the ice shattering and flying out in all directions, causing a nice crater and a shocking amount of damage to those around him. He stood in the crater, looking at his hands as he flexed his fingers. That felt good! He glanced around himself and his heart dropped. There were so many people around him that he had hurt, many clutching at wounds and some… no longer moving.

He stared wide eyed at those that remained standing, clutching at the crystal embedded in his chest. He had hurt people… maybe even… He jumped when T.K.O. landed next to him, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Are you ok, dude?”

K.O. shook his head, clutching tighter at his chest. “G-Go… we need t-to go…I can’t... I-I hurt…” 

T.K.O. didn’t wait for his twin to say more. He pulled him into a hug, holding him close as he flew up into the air. “Everyone from the Plaza, scatter! Go and hide, live to fight another day!” 

That seemed to snap everyone of their trance, and everyone that remained scattered, some stopping and doing their best to help their friends. T.K.O. watched from the sky as many of the P.O.I.N.T. soldiers began to turn their attentions upwards and to him and K.O.

He let out a growl before flying over the near by forest, as he did his best to find a place to set down and buy time. It took a solid couple minutes of flight before he found a nice, dense pocket of trees with a small cave. He landed at the mouth of the cave; the entrance just large enough for him to slip through without needing to set K.O. down. 

Once inside, ne practically collapsed against the cold stone wall. T.K.O. let out a soft groan, looking down at K.O., who was still shaking, but much less. “Hey, come on were safe now…”

K.O. shook his head, looking up at his twin. “How can we be safe…? Mommy, Mr. Gar, Enid, Rad… everyone… even the Bodega… it’s gone now…”

T.K.O. held his twin a little closer, gently rubbing his back. “We’ll get them back… all of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay friends! As an apology, I'll do a little...thing I can call it? I will write whatever someone wants for whoever can first guess the show referenced in this chapter! I doubt it's difficult, but it should be fun at least? As usual I welcome anything anyone has to say. Have a lovely night my dears and I hope you like this chapter!


	18. Fire and ice to forge the way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow tips his hand perhaps a little to far, and T.K.O. manages to light a fire under the depressed K.O.

Normally, in the area they lived, it was a comfortable temperature year-round. Or, so the boys thought, having always lived in a home or proper shelter. Even when they had run away from home, they had been underground, warmed by the Glorbs that gathered around him.

Now though, He was stuck in a cave deep in a forest, alone save for his literal other half. K.O. whimpered softly, curling into himself as he screwed his eyes shut tight. He had found small, dark niche he could just fit into near the back of the cave. He hated himself for making T.K.O. take care of him, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t bring himself to crawl out of his little hidey hole.

T.K.O. on the other hand had taken it upon himself to care for his brother. He liked to think himself independent, but after spending a few days out in the wilderness, learning to hunt down food and caring for them both. It was made significantly harder when his counterpart didn’t seem to want to live anymore. 

The boy grumbled, perched high in a tree looking down over a small body of water. He had learned from an old documentary he had watched that when stranded, hunting was easiest near the main source of water. He had also learned how to skin his catches, though so far, he had only rabbits to practice on. 

Today he was determined to catch something big enough to last them a bit. He perked up when he heard rustling leaves, He watched as a young buck strutted out into the clearing. The buck looked around, then dipped his head down, drinking from the small lake.

The boy let out a deep growl, letting his were-wolf forms instincts take hold. He had learned that he had more of a wolfs characteristics. He had left his suit behind at the cave, having decided that for hunts it was easier to stay in his were form. It gave him natural weapons without needing to use his powers much. He prepared himself, making sure his angle was correct. 

And thus, he launched himself into the air, aiming himself straight at the buck. 

The altercation was fast, taking little more than a moment. T.K.O. crouched over the buck. Luckily it wasn’t beyond his ability to fly with. He stood, grabbing the animal by its midsection and floating into the air. It was heavy, but luckily the cave wasn’t far. 

He zipped off, making it back within a few minutes. As he deposited the animal in his cleaning area, he got to work. He used his claws to skin and gut it, hanging the skin to set as he brought the edible meat to the firepit he had made. 

He looked over towards the log pile and let out a groan. He had forgotten it was done. Now he had to go out again and get more wood! He glared over towards the crevice K.O. hid in, but felt his rage die out a bit. T.K.O. had spent most of his early existence alone, locked in a cage with no one to connect with, save the one keeping him sealed. As such he hadn’t lost to much in the raid against the Plaza. Sure, he was angry as all get out, but he could resolve himself to get stronger and take it all back.

K.O., on the other hand, had lost everything he had known, and didn’t think he’d ever be strong enough to take it back. It didn’t help what that Shadow freak had done either. K.O. hadn’t said much since they got here, but from what he had gotten out of the other, he knew that the Shadow had given him some sort of ice bonus on top of what he had before. 

Of course, K.O. didn’t think he had anything before. He always saw himself as weak, even before T.K.O. came into the picture.

T.K.O. padded his way to the front of the cave. He needed to gather wood, and he needed to clear his head. He crouched down to take up a four-point stance, front paws on the soil as he prepared to just run off some steam. 

And so, he ran. Bounding over fallen logs, which he took note of, and past other predators, all of which kept a respectful distance. They knew by sent and aura that he was an alpha, one not to be messed with unless in dire straights. 

He was a little shocked when he found himself once more at the lake from earlier. He padded forward before returning to standing on his hind legs. Maybe a drink would cool his head? He found a small rock outcropping, and walked to the edge, looking out over the crystal-clear water.

He rested his head on his front paws, letting out a yawn. Maybe he had pushed himself a little to hard in that run. Taking a little nap wouldn’t hurt… 

He let his eyes slide shut and was soon snoring away.

When his eyes opened next, he knew he wasn’t in the wilderness, at least his consciousness wasn’t. He looked himself over, and found he looked like a human again. This wasn’t reality. He took in his surroundings, or perhaps lack there of was more accurate. It was just deep blackness, no discernible distance or walls. Not even an obvious floor, though he knew something must be supporting him. 

“Well now, this won’t do. You are much to calm for the embodiment of rage and passion!”

T.K.O. felt a chill crawl up his spine and he spun on his heels, letting out a deep growl as he saw the Shadow now standing before him. His hair stood on end, the very air around him charged with power.

The Shadow let out a deep chuckle. “Aah, now there is the rage I would expect of you, my dear pet! But please, you must know that attacking me here will do nothing.”

With a roar, the boy leapt forward and slashed at the Shadow, but his attack met with only empty space. He glared ahead at the Shadow, glaring daggers as he swallowed down his power. “Why are you here… why am I here…!?”

“Tsk tsk, pet. You should well know the answer to that. I had assumed that my…gift… to your brother will have you concerned by now?”

The boy’s eyes widened a bit at that. “What did you do to him? What is that ice doing to him, you monster.”

The Shadow shook its head. “Oh, you wound me dear boy! No, I am no monster… more of a god! I am merely trying to come into your world… You see, I am a god of chaos, as it were, and I need chaos! Your world had gotten so boring… but then Kaio was born! A child, born to a hero and a villain… how delicious~ All the gods became so interested in his fate… I decided to step in~.”

Ok, he felt so lost now. He blinked a bit, staring ahead in confusion. “Gods… villain…? What are you prattling on about? First off, what do you mean ‘born to a hero and villain’? I thought our parents were both heroes… Silver Spark and Laserblast.”

With a shake of its head, the Shadow sighed. “No, boy. You see, in your world, there are roles everyone is assigned to. Your father? Yes, he started as a hero. However, he was always destined for villainy. It was in the strings of fate. What wasn’t predicted, though, was you boys! Or more so, K.O. himself. Born to good and evil, he truly broke the mold!”

T.K.O. let out a growl. “You keep talking about him, how do I play into this.”

“You? Why, you were a method for the world to balance the scales… so I stepped in~. I used your father to create you. To test your limits. I’m not even sure he realizes you two are related… oh my that will be delicious when it comes to pass~. But that is neither here nor there for the moment… I do not have long to speak anymore, pet.”

“Really? Seems you’ve been doing nothing but…” T.K.O. scoffed and was about to cross his arms. His eyes widened when he realized he couldn’t move an inch. 

The Shadow grinned, stepping forward. “Aah, perfect. Now you won’t fight against my little gift~.” It held out its hand, a bright red flame sparking to life as it danced in the space over its palm. “While your brother now controls ice, I will give you a gift as well. Think it a birthday gift~.” 

It brought it’s hand forward, now only inches from T.K.O.’s chest. “Enjoy this gift of fire!” And with that statement, it shoved its hand forward, and pressed the flame into T.K.O.

The boy let out a cry, feeling the fire blaze through him, burning him from the inside out. He barely registered the Shadow stepping away, muttering under its breath. “This better be worth it, stealing the eternal flame was not easy…”

And with that, his vision went white, and he fell unconscious.

T.K.O. woke with a start, nearly falling off his rock perch and into the water. He checked himself over, and quickly realized he was truly back in reality. He let out a deep growl, glaring down at the rack beneath his claws. He wanted to tear that damn Shadow to shreds! 

He jumped when he saw his paws suddenly catch fire, the flames licking up his fur to engulf him entirely. He hadn’t realized he had tapped into his power in his rage, but even so, fire? This did seem familiar though… 

His eyes widened, the flames dissipating. K.O.! He had mentioned something about the Shadow and his new ice… He had to talk to him, even if he had to force it! He stood on his hind legs, and launched himself into the air, using just enough of his power for flight. He was happy to see he still had control over his old abilities but was still a bit surprised when he noticed his feet were on fire during flight. 

He couldn’t focus on that now though. He quickly arrived at the entrance of the cave, running into the depths. He paused, taking some time to change back into his normal human appearance. K.O. would probably rather talk to him looking like this than a big angry wolf anyhow. 

He quickly arrived at the little crevice, panting as he knelt next to it. “K.O., can I talk to you…? It’s important…”

He saw a small glimmer in the darkness, presumably from the crystal now embedded into the others chest. He heard a small, horse voice speaks from the darkness. “W-What’s…wrong…?”

T.K.O. hated hearing the normally cheery voice so broken. “Can you come out please? It’s about… it’s about the ice you got, and the Shadow creep…” 

There was silence for a beat, then T.K.O. heard the other shifting, slowly he saw K.O. come into the light, and his heart dropped to his stomach.

The boy looked exhausted, and his entire body was covered in the black curse mark they both suffered from. He offered a hand and bit his lip when K.O. shrunk away slightly. “It’s alright, K.O., you look like you could use a hand…”

It took time, but eventually K.O. took the proffered hand and T.K.O. soon had him into the main portion of the cave, which had a bit of natural light from the sun. he took note of just how cold to the touch K.O. was. “You feel like a block of ice, man…”

K.O. gave a small nod. “Y-Yeah… but you’re warm…” Once they were seated, K.O. pressed himself into T.K.O.’s side, who gently wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. 

T.K.O. hadn’t noticed until now, but he did feel a little warmer than usual right now. He gently rubbed the others shoulder. “K.O… you got your new ice thing from the Shadow, right? Well…. I ended up…. I guess running into him today…” 

He felt the other go completely still, and he gave a small half hug for reassurance. “Sorry if it’s upsetting, but I think he gave me something to…” He held his hand between them, and concentrated on his palm, letting his power spark there. For a moment, the normal purple sparks of energy danced over his fingers, then suddenly a small red flame burst to life, hovering an inch off his palm.

K.O.’s eyes went wide, and he reached out a shaky hand. The boy seemed to melt a little of that frigid stiffness, relaxing into the radiating warmth. T.K.O. smiled a little. “Seems were in the same boat now…In a way anyway… So how bout you talk to me again? I…I’ve missed you.”

K.O. looked up at his brother, and a small, hesitant smile tugged at his lips. “Y-Yeah, I guess…”

And so, they talked. T.K.O. listened as the other finally let out his feelings, talking about what had happened, how he felt about those he had hurt, how he missed their friends, and how everything just felt so wrong and upside down now. Once he had finally talked it out, K.O. finally looked back to normal, the blackness having returned once again to covering only his arms. 

T.K.O. gave another small squeeze to the other boys’ shoulders. “Better?”

With a smile and a nod, K.O. replied. “Yeah… now, tell me about your run in with the Shadow…”

Now it was T.K.O.’s time to talk, and so he did. He talked about everything that the Shadow said, everything he did, and about the sudden control over fire he had. Once he finished, he noticed that K.O. seemed to be having trouble staying awake. He smiled softly, reaching up to ruffle the others hair softly. “I haven’t gotten any wood, and the foods not ready yet… but I think I can serve as a fire while you nap.”

K.O. shook his head. “N-No, I need to… I…”

“You don’t need to do anything. You can help me roast some food later… for now, let’s take a nap… You could use one.”

There was no more room for argument, and with a sigh, K.O. was tugged to lay down curled up into T.K.O.’s side. With a hum, T.K.O. gently pet the others hair, and was happy to hear soft snores a few moments later. 

He may not have fixed the world today… but he made things a little better for K.O. at least. It didn’t matter what that freaky Shadow had in mind for them, god or devil or whatever he was. They were going to carve out their own destiny.

With fire and ice, they would change the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the promt, Viedos game, my dear! It was nice to right a little fluffy at the end, and it gave me a chance to bring in more were-boy!


	19. The Fox and the Hounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cold, alone and afraid, the boys decide it's time to take the fight to their enemies.

K.O. and T.K.O. started off their isolation in the forest by ticking off the days as they passed them by, but after they scratched 30 tally marks into the wall, neither could find the energy to keep up the rather depressing count. As such, The only thing about the passage of time they were sure of was that it had been well over a month since P.O.I.N.T. took over the Plaza, and that it was now winter.

T.K.O. had insisted upon finding a smaller cave, one that was easier to keep warm with a smaller fire. It didn’t take long to find one that fit the bill, and once the snow really piled up, they were able to use the drifts to form a natural looking blocker for the entrance.

They had made the best of their time alone in the forest though. K.O. had discovered that if he used the power the Shadow had given him he could form a thin disk of ice and control it, effectively using it as a flying saucer. T.K.O. had to train him in flight, but it didn’t take long for the boy to get the hang of it.

Even after K.O. had gotten the hang of flight, they did not stop training. They slowly grew more confident in their abilities, K.O. able to encase his body in ice like armour, and T.K.O. able to form an aura of flame around his body that cushioned physical blows and burnt away small projectiles.

After a particularly gruelling training session, K.O. found himself lying awake of a bearskin rug that the boys had worked together to hunt and skin. They only ever hunted when they needed meat, and they were always sure to use every part they could. It seemed wrong to take a life otherwise.

That train of thought always lead to the memory of when last he saw the Plaza and his friends and family. He had just received the new ‘gift’ of ice from the Shadow, and had tried to use it in battle. He shuddered, hugging his arms as he remembered the still forms of the P.O.I.N.T. personnel he had attacked.

T.K.O. always tried to reassure him, telling him that K.O. had no choice in the matter, and that it wasn’t his fault.

Of course, K.O. wasn’t sure of that.

As though bidden unconsciously by his twin’s thoughts, T.K.O. let out a mighty yawn, rolling over and hugging onto K.O. before returning swiftly to a deep sleep.

K.O. smiled softly, sighing as he let the others warmth comfort him. It was strange when he considered where T.K.O. came from. No matter what any of the mean adults in their lives said, K.O. new that T.K.O. wasn’t anything like what they called him.

The boy may be a bit prickly to those he didn’t trust, but He was a softy at his core. Certainly not the ‘embodiment of rage and anger’ he was supposed to be.

K.O. felt another shift, as looked over to see T.K.O.’s eyes opened slightly. Both had noticed that in the dark, their eyes glowed ever so faintly. It was pitch dark since the fire had gone out, so seeing two faint orbs of lilac was slightly unsettling.

T.K.O. smirked a bit, holding out a hand and producing a small orange flame in his outstretched palm. “You know, K.O., I heard it’s easier to sleep with your eyes closed.”

“Yours aren’t, you know.”

“Shut it, smart aleck.” T.K.O. gave the other an ineffectual punch on the shoulder, and both boys laughed softly. That was a rarity for them as of late. They didn’t have much to smile of laugh about in their current predicament, but they were close now. Tonight was the night they would go back to the Plaza.

Tonight, they would take BACK their home. And nothing would stop them.

In the morning, if it could even be called such, since the sun wasn’t even up yet, the two boys stood side by side outside of the cave that served as their home in exile. K.O. looked in through the small hole they came from and sighed. “I wanna come back and get our stuff. When this is over, I think mommy and the others will want to see it all.”

T.K.O. nodded. “Yeah, we’ll show everyone…”

Both boys noted how hollow and devoid of hope they sounded. Neither had been back to check on the Plaza in a while, they only knew it was still occupied because of the P.O.I.N.T. drop ships that were nearly constantly flying over the forest.

It was time to change everything.

K.O. knelt down in the snow, feeling the familiar cold seep into his palms. The cold had almost become an odd comfort to him. He didn’t get uncomfortably cold as much anymore, and tokened it to his new ice abilities. He shut his eyes and sent his power down into his palms, a sheet of ice forming on the ground beneath him. Once he deemed it big enough, it floated upwards into the sky, flakes of snow and shards of ice falling beneath it like glitter.

T.K.O. jumped into the air next to him, his feet now alight with red flame. T.K.O. hadn’t had to change much about his flight tactic, but he did find that he could travel faster now with a burst of flame from either his feet, or hands. He also had more control in flight, able to turn and move much quicker and more seamlessly.

With both boys now in the air, they took off towards the direction of the Plaza. As they flew, they threw up their respective defences. K.O. had been changing and refining his, and now it looked less like he was a moving chunk of ice, and looked more like a hero costume of sorts.

T.K.O. still looked more or less like the embodiment of fire. Sitting in the middle of his chest was a white hot sunburst pattern.

K.O. looked down at his own chest, and saw the black crystal embedded there, showing even through the crystalline armour he wore. He returned his attention to the sky ahead, and nearly fell out of the sky when he saw the Plaza. Even T.K.O. stopped in midair.

Neither was able to properly understand what they saw. The place was an absolute wreck! There had been several of the stores that stood as little more than smoking holes now, and the entire lot was crawling with troops. Even powered up, it would be impossible to take down all of them at once.

That thought sparked an idea between them. K.O. pointed towards the biggest ship, which was just getting ready for lift off. “Betcha ten Techno’s that Foxtail is in there. We both have the advantage of flight this time, so I think we can hit the transport hard and fast, draw her out and keep her in the sky with us.”

T.K.O. nodded, grinning as his flames flared with new vigour. “Last one to the ship has to do the losers chores for a week!” And with that he was off like a shot towards the ship. K.O. yelped and flew after his brother, only barely managing to catch up as they reached the ship. They split when they reached it, each aiming to incapacitate a rotor.

K.O. took the right side, forming ice around the blades of the propeller and causing it to jam. It wasn’t long before the force of trying to work past the blockage over heated the motor, causing it to explode. He heard another explosion from the other side, and knew that T.K.O. had taken out the other.

The ship began to stumble in the air, relying on barely stable backup systems to keep them from crashing. Poifect!

Both boys flew back to the front of the ship, staring in through the glass of the cockpit to see Foxtail standing front and center, glaring at them with enough venom to scare even gar.

But not these two boys.

K.O. shouted out, more than enough for not only Foxtail to hear, but any below or within the Plaza buildings. “Foxtail! We’re back, and we’re not leaving until we get our home back!”

T.K.O. grinned wickedly. “So either buckle down for a long fight, or run with your tail between your legs like the coward you are!”

The two boys could almost FEEL the rage coming from her, even at this distance. K.O. held his hands above his head, a crystalline spear forming above him. “I’d take a few steps back, if I were you.” And with that warning, he threw his hands forward, the ice spear shooting forward with an incredible speed. It pierced through the windshield, shattering it and embedding itself into the floor between Foxtail’s feet.

They had expected to have her come after them, but instead she just smirked. “Hello, boys! Long-time no see. I trust you’ve been well? Your mother has been so very worried about you~.”

K.O. felt a chunk of ice fall from his disk, his eyes widening. “Where is our mom?!”

T.K.O. growled, a heat wave pulsing out from him that even K.O. could feel under his frigid ice armour.

Foxtail hummed, crossing her arms. “Why not come down here and talk, hmm? Maybe we could come to an agreement. I have an army, you’re only two children. What could you possibly do?” Foxtail was clearly smug, but the boy’s wouldn’t let that last long.

K.O. followed along at first, flying down to float above the floor of the deck, and then leapt off of his ice platform. He landed softly, his bare feet padding on the cold metal below. T.K.O. followed suit, but it took a lot of effort to curb his rage. They needed to bide their time.

Once both set down, they noticed something behind Foxtail and had their stomachs bottom out. Unconscious on the floor was Elodie, bound with stasis cuffs with a rather nasty head wound because a small puddle to form below her.

With the sight of their friend hurt, both boys launched into action. K.O. formed blades from the guards he had formed on his forearms, and slashed aggressively at Foxtail.

T.K.O. wasn’t one to stand down either, throwing flames up in a wall around the three, trapping Foxtail in the arena they created.

Foxtail was starting to think that she may just loose this fight.

It wasn’t long at all for her suspicion to be confirmed, K.O. standing over her, an ice blade pressed to her neck while T.K.O. gathered the fire from the ring around them, condensing it into a sphere of intense heat that he poised to shoot at her should she make a move against them.

She growled up at them, furious with herself. “You’re strong, I’ll give you that, boys. Maybe you think enough to protect those you love… but that’s only because of Turbo energy! That’s all I wanted, Turbo energy and Glorbs for heroes, so we can protect those we care about!”

K.O. growled, much like T.K.O., and pressed the ice blade against Foxtail’s skin, causing the hero to gulp. “I don’t want to hear anything like that from you…” The ice of his armour was becoming a smoky black color. “You attacked us first! Fellow heroes, innocent children, families… even your old friends! You expect us to believe it was all for good?” He lifted the blade, readying for a finishing blow. “Don’t try to fool us!”

As he brought the blade down, he froze. T.K.O. had moved forward, blocking K.O. from striking. “T.K.O.!? Move, let me end this!”

T.K.O. shook his head, looking up at K.O. with sad eyes. “No, not a chance. You’ll live to regret it. Take a look at yourself, you aren’t in full control.”

K.O. glanced down and finally realized that the ice armour he wore looked more like obsidian crystal than his usual clear ice. His eyes snapped open wide and the ice blade shattered, the armour slowly returning to its clear state. “I-I… S-Sorry, Teeks…”

The flaming boy smiled softly, shaking his head. “It’s alright; we’ll finish with this and talk later. For now…” He held the flaming orb a little closer to Foxtail’s face, grinning like a madman at her. “Call off your troops. Call all this off, and we’ll let you go.”

Foxtail grits her teeth, and then looked away, refusing to meet either of their eyes. “I just… wanted to protect them… I needed power to protect them…” She slammed her fist on the floor, causing both boys to take a small step back. “I figured that if I got the power I needed to protect people, it wouldn’t matter how I did that…”

She smiled sadly up at them. “I guess… it’s about time the heroes took down the villain of this story…” She let her head fall, thudding lightly on the floor below her. “Do what you want with me, I deserve it…”

The boys shared a look, emotions passing through the link they shared. Even without words they could communicate through this link. K.O. returned his attention to Foxtail, the ice shattering into a sparkling dust as he dissipated it. Similarly T.K.O. returned to his normal state, the fire dying down to little more than a few licks of flame before vanishing completely.

Now standing above the person they had vowed their revenge against, they both recognized something of themselves in her. She had gone about it all wrong, and most likely was corrupted by the promise of power the Glorbs offered. They knew that all too well.

K.O. smiled softly, holding out his hand, still black with the Turbonic corruption, lanced through with white markings. “Come on, Miss Foxtail, get up. If you want to do something right, help us return everything to normal. Act like a real hero, you might just remember how it’s done.”

The battle had hardly lasted five minutes since they first arrived, but they were still exhausted already. It took a lot of effort for them to return to the ground with Foxtail, helping where they could as Foxtail spread the news to the troops, releasing the Plaza residences from their forced consignment and offering to help repair any damage that she had caused.

K.O. and T.K.O. managed to get away from the crowds as clean up began in earnest, both sitting against a tree as they did their best not to doze off.

T.K.O. broke their comfortable silence with a tired chuckle. “After all that time… all that training… and it was over in a few minutes… remind me, why did we wait so long?”

K.O. hummed softly in thought. “Maybe… we we’re scared of what we would come back to…”

They both fell silent again, knowing it was true. They had been so scared; the only thing that pushed them to it today was the growing fear of being alone in the forest forever.

Both boys nearly leapt out of their skin when they heard people shouting their names. They looked up, and they instantly felt the weight lifted from their shoulders. They leapt to their feet and met the group running at them half way.

Carol swept them both up into a hug, crying and laughing as she smothered them both in kisses. It wasn’t long before that hug turned into a hug pile. Gar was second, pulling the boys and Carol into the biggest bear hug he could manage. Enid and Rad joined next, giving the small family hugs as well. Next came in Dendy, managing to sit herself on Gar’s head to speak with the two, though she was talking a mile a minute and was difficult to reply to.

They enjoyed their reunion, and those that had come to congratulate the boys on their victory wisely decided to leave the group be. Carol sniffles, giving the boys another tight squeeze before pulling away to look at them. “Boys! I mi—oh!” She laughed softly, both K.O. and T.K.O. having fallen asleep in her arms, smiling calmly. “You boys have had it hard… let’s get you home, hmm?”

Neither of the boys woke up the entire trip home, or even once they were tucked into bed together.

Finally, things could go back to normal…

For now, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY EVERYONE I vanished for a while due to.... tech issues I suppose? (Is it tech issues if the laptop starts to literally peel apart? It was kinda freaky...) 
> 
> I should be able to get back to updating more frequently, with a small bonus....art! I wont make a piece for every chapter (maybe) but Ill try to throw one in occasionally. Anyway dears, have a great day and I hope everyone is staying healthy!


End file.
